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Thousand  miles  in  the  Rob  Roy  cano 


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A 

THOUSAND  MILES 


IX    THE 


liOB  ROY  CANOE 

ON  RIVERS  AND  LAKES  OE 
EUROPE. 

BY   J.    MACGREGOR,   M.A., 

TRI3SHTY   COLLEGE,    CAMBRIDGE  ; 
BAEEISTEE   AT   LAW  : 

TOi'tJ  i^umerous  ^Illustratfons  ant(  a  JJlap. 

SEVENTH  EDITION. 


BOSTON : 

ROBERTS     BROS. 

1871. 


/7/V 

/?7/ 


/ 


PREFACE. 


Tills  is  tlie  log  of  a  charining  cruise  in  a  small 
Canoe,  designed  by  the  writer.  "With  her  paddle 
and  sails  she  traversed  the  following  waters  : — 

The  Rivers  Thames,  Sambre,  Meuse,  Rhine, 
Main,  Danube,  Reuss,  Aar,  Illj  Moselle,  Meurthe, 
Marne,  and  Seine. 

The  Lakes  Titisee,  Constance,  Unter  See, 
Zurich,  Zug,  and  Lucerne,  together  with  six  canals 
in  Belgium  and  France,  and  two  expeditions  in 
the  open  sea  of  the  British  Channel. 

The  route  on  land  led  sometimes  over  mountains 
and  through  forests  and  plains,  where  the  boat  had 
to  be  carried  or  dragged. 

Temple,  London, 
July,  1870. 


IV 


THE    author's   profits     FROM     THE     FIRST     AND 


SECOND  EDITIONS  WERE  GIVEN  TO  THE 
ROYAL  NATIONAL  LIFEBOAT  INSTITUTION 
AND  TO  THE  SHIPV^RECKED  MARINERS* 
SOCIETY. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Rapids  of  the  Reuss  [Frontispiece) 
Sea  Rollers  in  the  Channel 
Swimming  Herd  on  the  Mexjse 
Singers'  Waggon  on  the  Danube 
A  Crowd  in  the  Morning 
Haymakers  Amazed 
Night  Surprise  at  Gegglingen 
The  Rob  Roy  in  a  Bustle 
Sailing  upon  Lake  Zug     . . 
Shirking  a  Waterfall 
A  Critical  Moment 
Astride  the  Stern 
The  Rob  Roy  and  the  Cow 
Polite  to  the  Ladies 
Group  of  French  Fishers 
Passing  a  Dangerous  Barrier 
A  Choked  Canal  . . 
Rigging  Ashore    . . 
Route  of  the  Canoe  {Map) 
Chart  of  Currents  and  Rocks 


rage 

14 

21 

39 

52 

65 

76 

90 

111 

125 

138 

153 

176 

189 

203 

216 

231 

238 

239 

245 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Page 

The  Canoeist— Other  Modes— The  Eob  Eoy— Hand-Book 
Hints-The  Dress— The  Eole  1 

CHAPTER  11. 

The  Start — The  Thames — Flies — Under  Sail — Porpoises — A 
Noreaster — Sailing  on  the  Sea— On  the  Meuse — Barriers 
and  Shallows — Huy — Gun-barrels — Earl  of  Aberdeen — A 
Drowning  Boy— Swimmers— A  Night  Climb — The  Pre- 
mier's Son — Nothing  to  Pay— A  Day's  Sail — Downhill — 
Canoes  and  Cannons — The  Prince  of  Wales  —Alone  again.       9 

CHAPTER   III. 

Hollenthal  Pass — Lady  Friends — Night  Music — Manners — 
Pontius  Pilate — A  Schwartzwald  Storm — Starers — The 
Singers — Donaueschingen — Banket— An  English  Groom 
— Waiterdom — Source  of  the  Danube — Its  Name        ...     30 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Danube — "Guten  Tag" — Canoe  Pleasures — All  R-r-r- 
r-ight — The  Weed — Shooting  a  dam — Day's  delights — 
Toy  Barrow — Tuttlineen — The  Crowds — The  Monastery 
— Melanie — Tracts — Monks'  Cowls — Distance  travelled — 
Reflections  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...     44 

CHAPTER  V. 

Panting  Visitors — Sigmaringen — Roman  Nose — Herons  in 
Council — Among  the  Haymakers — Boating  Boy — Winged 
Music — Arched  Chasms — Hidden  Song — Navvies — Diffe- 
rent Dangers — A  Gale — Hungry  Nap — Chasing  a  Church 
— Snags  in  Darkness — The  Vagrant — Classics— Hotel 
BiUs  61 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Day-dream — Ulm — River  Iller — Bismarck's  Besom — Fred- 
rickshafen — Lake  Constance — Idiots — A  Wiseacre — On 
Rhine  again— Goosewinged — Sign  speech — Gasthaus — 
With  an  Arab — Water  bewitched — The  Emperor — How 
to  Moor — Grand  Duchy  again — By  the  Moon — The  Idlers.     79 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Fog  Picture — Boy  Soldiers — Sohaffhausen  Falls — Eating — 
Bachelor's  Fare — Lake  of  Zurich — Like  a  Dog — Crinoline 
— Spectators — Lake  of  Zug — Swiss  Riflemen — Mist  Cur- 
tains— Sailing— Fishing  Britons — Flogging  the  Water — 
Odd  Britons — Talk-books — A  Suggestion.         ...  ...     98 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Lake  of  Lucerne — Seeburg  Hotel — Bona-fide  Bite — The  Rapid 
Reuss— Fair  Friends — Is  it  right? — Caught  by  a  Rope — 
Barriers — The  Hard  Place  —  Din  —  Headlong  —  The 
Struggle — Bremgarten.  ...  ...  ...  ...  117 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

Page 
CHAPTER  IX. 

Hunger— Music  at  the  Mill— Damsels— Sentiment  and  Chops 
—Buying  Clothes— The  Snags— Shooting  a  Fall— Fixed 
—An  ex-courier— Long  Bearings — The  Drowned  Lord — 
"  Wasserfall"— Cow  and  Canoe— "  Valtare  Scote"— 
Man  Preserver  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  131 

CHAPTER  X. 

A  Field  of  Foam— Precipice — Puzzled— Philosophy— Rhein- 
felden  Rapids — Dazzled— Jabbering—  Blissful  Ignorance 
—Astride— Find  a  Way— Very  Salt- Bright  Lad- 
German  Friend— The  Whirlpool— Cauliflower— Bride 
and  Baby — "Squar."  ...  ...  ...  ...146 

CHAPTER  XL 

Which  way  ? — Music  in  Jungle—  Byron— Drawbridges — Gros 
Kembs  Thunderer— Thoroughly  dull— Fifty  Locks— The 
Bother  at  them— A  romantic  Lad — An  odd  Fish- Night 
Notes— Madame  Nico— Tedious— Stared  at-  The  Lady 
Cow — New  Wine      ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  162 

CHAPTER  XIL 
River  Thur- Fire  !  Fire  !— Over  the  Vosges— "  Th  "—Popish 
Pilgrims  —  Source  of  the  Moselle- Remiremont— 
Launched  on  the  Moselle—  Lovely  Scenes — The  Paddle — 
Spell-bound  —  Washerwomen  —  Graceful  Salute  —  Run 
away  with— Policemen  ...  ...  ...  ...  178 

CHAPTER  XIIL 

River  Moselle— The  Tramp— Battery  of  Blessings— Halcyon 
— Painted  Woman — Sad  Loss  —  Very  Shabby  —  In  a 
Hedge  —  A  Discovery  —  River  Meurthe  —  Flirting — 
Ducks— A  Moving  House— A  Mother's  Tears— Night 
Frolic — Salt  Mine— Work  for  the  Young  ...  ...193 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Luxuries — Monks — Camp  at  Chalons — Inns  of  Court — A 
Widower — Leaks— Come  to  see  a  Smash — Champagne — 
The  River  Marne— Name  of  my  Wife — Silence — The  Sun 
—Rafts  and  Flocks  —  Newspapers  —  Millstones  —  Hot 
Wind— Old  Soldier   ...  ...  ...  ...  ...210 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Blacksmith — Holy  Water — Quaint  Questions — Unprotected 
Female— Grave  Gazers — Wrong  Ways — The  Boys,  the 
Boys— Bends  of  the  Marne — Last  Mooring — The  Seine — 
Paris — Home  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  227 

APPENDIX. 

Different  Canoes— Speed — Stores— Rocks  and  Currents — 
Note  on  "The  Kent" — Canoeing — The  paddle,  rudder, 
lee-board,  centre  board,  apron,  stretcher,  ballast,  sails, 
portable  canoes— Sun — Caution — Weeds  ...  ...  239 


/rM 


CHAPTEE.  I. 


The  Canoeist — Other  Modes — ^The  Eob  Roy — Hand-Book 
— Hints — The  Dress — The  Eole. 


It  was  a  pleasant  book  that  "  Log  of  the  Water 
Lily,"  teUing  how  she  was  rowed  on  the  Rhine 
and  the  Danube  ;  and  after  her  went  the  "  Water- 
witch  "  to  labour  up  French  rivers,  and  a  hundred 
tedious  locks  on  the  German  canal.  But  all  such 
cruising  in  rowboats  was  of  course  very  limited, 
for  in  the  wildest  parts  of  the  best  rivers  the 
channel  is  too  narrow  for  oars,  or  if  wide  enouo-h, 
it  is  often  too  shallow  ;  and  the  tortuous  passages, 
the  rocks  and  banks,  the  weeds  and  snags,  the 
milldams,  barriers,  fallen  trees,  rapids,  whirlpools, 
and  waterfalls  that  constantly  occur  on  a  river 
winding  among  hills,  make  those  very  parts  where 
the  scenery  is  wildest  and  best  to  be  quite  unap- 
proachable in  such  a  boat,  for  it  would  be  swamped 
by  the  sharp  waves,  or  upset  over  the  sunken 
rocks,  which  cannot  be  seen  by  a  steersman. 
Now  these  very  things  which  bother  the  '^  pair 

B 


)i  THE    CANOEIST. 

oar/'  become  clieery  excitements  to  the  voyager 
in  a  canoe.  For  now,  as  lie  sits  in  his  little  bark, 
he  looks  forward,  and  not  backward.  He  sees  all 
his  course,  and  the  scenery  besides.  With  one 
sweep  of  his  paddle  he  can  turn  when  a  foot  from 
destruction.  He  can  steer  within  an  inch  in  a 
narrow  place,  and  can  easily  pass  through  reeds 
and  weeds,  or  branches  and  grass ;  can  work  his 
sail  without  changing  his  seat;  can  shove  with 
his  paddle  when  aground,  and  can  jump  out  in 
good  time  to  prevent  a  bad  smash.  He  can  wade 
and  haul  his  craft  over  shallows,  or  drag  it  on  dry 
ground,  through  fields  and  hedges,  over  dykes, 
barriers,  and  walls ;  can  carry  it  by  hand  up 
ladders  and  stairs,  and  can  transport  his  canoe 
over  high  mountains  and  broad  plains  in  a  cart 
drawn  by  a  man,  a  horse,  or  a  cow. 

Besides  all  this,  the  covered  canoe  is  far  stronger 
than  an  open  boat,  and  may  be  fearlessly  dropped 
into  a  deep  pool,  a  lock,  or  a  millrace,  and  when 
the  breakers  are  high,  in  the  open  sea  or  in  river 
rapids,  they  can  only  wash  over  the  deck,  while  it 
is  always  dry  within. 

The  canoe  is  safer  also  than  a  rowing-boat, 
because  you  sit  so  low  in  it,  and  never  require  to 
shift  your  place  or  lose  hold  of  the  paddle ;  while 
for  comfort  during  long  hours,  for  days  and  weeks 
of  hard  work,  it  is  evidently  the  best,  because  you 
lean  all  the  time  against  a  swinging  backboard, 
and  when  the  paddle  rests  on  your  lap  you  are  at 
ease  as  in  an  arm-chair ;  so  that,  while  drifting 
along  with  the  current  or  the  wind,  you  can  gaze 
around,  and  eat  or  read,  or  sketch,  or  chat  with  the 
starers  on  the  bank,  and  yet,  in  a  moment  of 


OTHER    MODES.  3 

sudden  alarm,  the  hands  are  at  once  on  the  faith- 
ful paddle  ready  for  action. 

Finally,  you  can  lie  at  full  length  in  the  canoe, 
with  the  sail  as  an  awning  for  the  sun,  or  a  shelter 
for  rain,  and  you  can  sleep  at  night  under  its  cover, 
or  inside  it  when  made  for  that  purpose,  with  at 
least  as  much  room  for  turning  in  your  bed  as 
sufficed  for  the  great  Duke  of  Wellington ;  or,  if 
you  are  tired  of  the  water  for  a  time,  you  can  leave 
your  boat  at  an  inn — where  it  will  not  be  "  eating 
its  head  off,"  like  a  horse ;  or  you  can  send  it 
home,  or  sell  it,  and  take  to  the  road  yourself,  or 
sink  back  again  into  the  dull  old  cushions  of  the 
"  Premiere  Classe,"  and  dream  you  are  seeing  the 
world. 

With  such  advantages,  then,  and  with  good 
weather  and  good  health,  the  canoe  voyage  about 
to  be  described  was  truly  delightful. 

This  was  the  first  such  cruise,  but  scores  of  others 
followed.  You  may  see  a  list  of  them  in  the 
^*  Canoeist,"  published  by  the  Canoe  Club,  of  which 
the  Prince  of  Wales  is  Commodore,  with  two  hun- 
dred members,  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  But  it 
may  well  be  asked  from  one  who  thus  praises  the 
paddle,  ^^  Has  he  travelled  in  other  ways,  so  as  to 
know  their  several  pleasures  ?  Has  he  climbed 
glaciers  and  volcanoes,  dived  into  caves  and  cata- 
combs, trotted  in  the  Norway  carriole,  ambled  on 
an  Arab,  and  galloped  on  the  Russian  steppes  ? 
Does  he  know  the  charms  of  a  Nile  boat,  or  a 
Trinity  Eight,  or  a  Yankee  steamer,  or  a  sail  in 
the  ^gean,  or  a  mule  in  Spain  ?  Has  he  swung 
upon  a  camel,  or  glided  in  a  sleigh,  or  sailed  a 
yacht,  or  trundled  in  a  Pantoone  ?" 

b2 


4  THE    ROB    ROY. 

Yes,  he  has  most  thoroughly  enjoyed  these  and 
other  modes  of  locomotion,  fast  and  slow.  And 
now  having  used  the  canoe  in  Europe,  Asia, 
Africa,  and  America,  he  finds  the  pleasure  of  the 
paddle  is  the  best  of  them  all. 

The  Rob  Roy  Canoe  was  built  of  oak,  with  a 
deck  of  cedar.  She  was  made  just  short  enough 
to  go  into  the  German  railway  waggons  ;  that  is 
to  say,  fifteen  feet  in  length,  twenty-eight  inches 
broad,  nine  inches  deep,  and  weighed  eighty 
pounds.  My  baggage  for  three  months  was  in  a 
black  bag  one  foot  square  and  six  inches  deep.* 
A  paddle  seven  feet  long,  with  a  blade  at  each  end, 
and  a  lug  sail  and  jib,  were  the  means  of  propul- 
sion ;  and  a  pretty  blue  silk  Union  Jack  was  the 
only  ornament. 

But,  having  got  this  little  boat,  the  difficulty 
was  to  find  where  she  could  go  to,  or  what  rivers 
were  at  once  feasible  to  paddle  on  and  pretty  to 
see. 

Inquiries  in  London  as  to  this  had  no  result. 
Even   the   Paris    Boat    Club   knew   nothing   of 


*  After  the  cruise  the  author  had  another  and  better 
canoe  constructed,  shorter,  narrower  (but  with  the  same 
name),  and  in  her  he  voyaged  through  Sweden,  Norway 
and  Denmark,  Holstein,  and  some  German  waters. 

The  account  of  this  voyage  is  given  in  "  The  Rob  Roy 
on  the  Baltic,"  2nd  Edition  (Low  and  Marston).  The 
recent  improvements  of  the  canoe  are  described  in  that 
book,  with  woodcuts.  The  full  description  of  a  third 
canoe  for  sleeping  in  during  a  six  months'  voyage  is  given 
in  "  The  Rob  Roy  on  the  Jordan,  Nile,  Red  Sea,  and 
Gennesareth,  a  canoe  cruise  in  Palestine  and  Egypt  and 
the  waters  of  Damascus,"  with  eighty  illustrations  and 
maps. 


HANDBOOK.  5 

Frencii  rivers.  And  it  was  soon  pretty  plain  that, 
after  quitting  the  Rhine,  this  was  to  be  a  voyage 
of  discovery.  Let  us  hope,  then,  that  this  narrative 
will  lessen  the  trouble,  while  it  stimulates  the 
desire  of  the  numerous  travellers  who  spend  their 
vacation  in  a  canoe."* 

Not  that  I  shall  attempt  to  make  a  "  handbook" 
to  any  of  the  streams.  The  man  who  has  a  spark 
of  enterprise  would  turn  from  a  river  of  which 
every  reach  was  mapped  and  its  channels  duly 
lettered.  Fancy  the  free  traveller,  equipped  for  a 
delicious  summer  of  savage  life,  quietly  submitting 
to  be  cramped  and  tutored  by  a  "  Chart  of  the 
Upper  Mosel "  in  the  style  of  the  following  ex- 
tract, which  is  copied  literally  from  a  Guide-book : — 

(1)  "Turn  to  the  r.  (right),  cross  the  brook, 
and  ascend  by  a  broad  and  steep  forest  track  (in 
40  min.)  to  the  hamlet  of  Albersbach,  situate  in 
the  midst  of  verdant  meadows.  In  five  min.  more 
a  cross  is  reached,  where  the  path  to  the  1.  must 
be  taken ;  in  10  min.  to  the  r.,  in  the  hollow,  to 
the  saw  mill ;  in  10  min.  more  through  the  gate 
to  the  r. ;  in  3  min.  the  least  trodden  path  to  the 
1.  leading  to  the  Gaschpels  Hof ;  after  J  hr.  the 
stony  track  into  the  wood  must  be  ascended,"  &c., 
&c. — From  B 's  Rhine,  p.  94. 

Yet  this  sort  of  guide-book  is  not  to  be  ridi- 

*  Special  hints  for  those  who  intend  to  "  canoe  it "  will 
■usually  be  given  in  the  footnotes,  or  in  the  Appendix, 
but  the  results  of  wider  experience  are  detailed  in  the  two 
other  volumes  mentioned  already.  The  best  German  and 
Austrian  maps  were  frequently  wi-ong.  They  showed 
villages  on  the  banks  which  I  found  were  a  mile  away  in  a 
wood,  and  so  they  were  useless  to  one  who  had  made  up 
his  mind  (a  good  resolve)  never  to  leave  his  boat. 


b  HINTS. 

culed.  It  is  useful  for  some  travellers  as  a  ruled 
copy-book  is  of  use  to  some  writers.  For  first 
tours  it  may  be  needful  and  pleasant  to  bave  all 
made  smootb  and  easy,  to  be  carried  in  steamers 
or  railways  like  a  parcel,  to  stop  at  hotels  full  of 
English  guests,  and  to  ride,  walk,  or  drive  among 
people  who  know  quite  well  already  just  what  you 
will  want  to  eat,  and  see,  and  do. 

Year  after  year  it  is  enough  of  excitement  to 
some  tourists  to  be  shifted  in  squads  from  town  to 
town,  according  to  the  routine  of  an  excursion 
ticket.  Those  who  are  a  little  more  advanced  mil 
venture  to  devise  a  tour  from  the  mazy  pages  of 
Bradshaw,  and  with  portmanteau  and  bag,  and 
hat-box  and  sticks,  they  find  more  than  enough  of 
judgment  and  tact  is  needed  when  they  arrive  in 
a  night-train  abroad,  and  must  fix  on  an  omnibus 
in  a  strange  town.  Safe  at  last  in  the  bedroom  of 
the  hotel,  they  exclaim  with  a  sigh,  "  "Well,  here 
we  are  all  right  at  last !  " 

But  after  mountains  and  caves,  churches  and 
galleries,  ruins  and  battle-fields,  have  been  pretty 
well  seen,  and  after  tact  and  fortitude  have  been 
educated  by  experience,  the  tourist  is  ready  for 
new  lines  of  travel  which  might  have  given  him 
at  first  more  worry  than  pleasure,  and  these  he 
will  find  in  deeper  searches  among  the  natural 
scenery  and  national  character  of  the  very  countries 
he  has  only  skimmed  before. 

The  rivers  and  streams  on  the  Continent  are 
scarcely  known  to  the  English  tourist,  and  all  the 
beauty  and  life  upon  them  no  one  has  well  seen. 

In  his  Guide-book  route,  indeed,  from  town  to 
town,  the  tourist  has  crossed  this  and  that  stream 


THE    DRESS.  7 

— has  admired  a  few  yards  of  tlie  water,  and  lias 
then  left  it  for  ever.  He  is  carried  again  on  a 
noble  river  by  night  in  a  steamboat,  or  is  whisked 
along  its  banks  in  a  railway,  and  between  two 
tunnels  he  gets  a  moment's  glimpse  at  the  lovely 
water,  and  lo  !  it  is  gone. 

But  a  mine  of  rich  beauty  remains  there  to  be 
explored,  and  fresh  gems  of  life  and  character  are 
waiting  there  to  be  gathered.  These  are  not 
mapped  and  labelled  and  ticketed  in  any  handbook 
yet;  and  far  better  so,  for  the  enjoyment  of  such 
treasures  is  enhanced  to  the  best  traveller  by  the 
energy  and  pluck  required  to  get  at  them. 

On  this  new  world  of  waters,  then,  we  are  to 
launch  the  boat,  the  man,  and  his  baggage,  for 
we  must  describe  all  three, 

"  Arma  virumque  canoe." 

So  what  sort  of  dress  did  he  wear  ? 

My  clothes  for  this  tour  consisted  of  a  complete 
suit  of  grey  flannel  for  use  in  the  boat,  and 
another  suit  of  light  but  ordinary  dress  for  shore 
work  and  Sundays. 

The  "  JS^or folk  jacket  "  is  a  loose  frock-coat,  like 
a  blouse,  with  shoulder-straps,  and  belted  at  the 
waist,  and  garnished  by  six  pockets."*  With  this 
excellent  new-fashioned  coat,  a  something  in  each 
of  its  pockets,  and  a  Cambridge  straw  hat,  canvas 
wading  shoes,  blue  spectacles,  a  waterproof  over- 
coat, and  my  spare  jib  for  a  sun  shawl,  there  was 

*  The  same  suit  (made  at  Meyer  and  Mortimer's,  Con- 
duit-street) went  also  through  the  second  and  third  voyages 
without  a  button  damaged. 


8  THE   SOLE. 

sure  to  be  a  full  day's  enjoyment  in  defiance  of 
rain  or  sun,  deeps  or  shallows,  hunger  or  ennui. 

Four  hours'  work  to  begin,  and  after  them  three 
of  rest  or  floating,  reading  or  sailing,  and  again  a 
three  hours'  heavy  pull,  and  then  with  a  swim  in 
the  river  or  a  bath  at  the  inn,  a  change  of  gar- 
ments and  a  pleasant  walk,  all  was  made  quite 
fresh  again  for  a  lively  evening,  a  hearty  dinner, 
pleasant  talk,  books,  pictures,  letters,  and  bed. 

All  being  ready,  and  the  weather  very  hot  at 
the  end  of  July,  when  the  country  had  caught  the 
election  fever,  and  M.  P.'s  went  to  scramble  for 
seats,  and  the  lawyers  to  thicken  the  bustle,  and 
the  last  bullet  at  Wimbledon  came  "  thud  "  on 
the  target,  it  was  time  for  the  Rob  Roy  to  start. 


CHAPTEE  II. 

THE  STAET. 

The  Thames— Flies — Under  Sail — Porpoises— A  Noreaster 
— Sailing  on  the  Sea — On  the  Meuse — Barriers  and 
Shallows — Huy — Gun-barrels — Earl  of  Aberdeen — A 
Drowning  Boy — Swimmers — A  Night  Climb — The 
Premier's  Son — Nothing  to  Pay — A  Day's  Sail — 
Downhill— Canoes  and  Cannons — The  Prince  of 
"Wales — Alone  again. 

The  Bob  Roy  bounded  away  joyously  on  the  top 
of  the  tide  through  Westminster  Bridge,  and 
swiftly  shooting  the  narrow  piles  at  Blackfriars, 
she  danced  along  the  waves  of  the  Pool,  which 
looked  all  golden  in  the  morning  sun,  but  were  in 
fact  of  pea-soup  hue. 

A  fine  breeze  at  Greenwich  filled  the  new  white 
sail,  and  we  skimmed  along  with  a  cheery  hissing 
sound.  At  such  times  the  river  is  a  Kvely  scene 
with  steamers  and  sea-bound  ships,  bluff  little 
tugs,  and  big  looming  barges.  I  had  many  a  chat 
with  the  passing  sailors,  for  it  was  well  to  begin 
this  at  once,  seeing  that  every  day  afterwards  I 
was  to  have  talk  with  the  river  folk  in  English, 
French,  Dutch,  German,  or  other  hotchpotch  patois. 

For  good  humour  the  bargee  is  not  a  bad  fellow, 
but  he  will  beat  you  at  banter.  Often  they  began 
•with,  "HoUoah  you  two!"  or  "Any  room  in- 
side ?  "  or  "  Got  your  life  insured,  Gov'nor  ?  " 
but  I  smiled  and  nodded  to  every  one,  and  every 
one  on  every  river  and  lake  was  friendly  to  me. 


10  FLIES. 

Purfleet  looked  so  pretty  tliat  we  made  a  tack 
or  two  to  reconnoitre,  and  resolved  to  stop  at  its 
nice  hotel,  which  I  beg  to  recommend. 

While  lolling  about  in  my  boat  a  fly  stung  my 
hand  ;  and  the  arm  speedily  swelled,  until  I  had 
to  poultice  the  hand  at  night  and  to  go  to  church 
next  day  with  a  sling,  which  excited  a  great  deal 
of  comment  in  the  village  Sunday-school.  This 
was  the  only  occasion  on  which  any  insect  troubled 
me  on  any  voyage,  though  croakers  had  predicted 
that  in  rivers  and  marshes  there  would  be  hun- 
dreds of  wasps,  flies,  and  gnats,  not  to  mention 
other  more  intimate  companions. 

As  I  entered  the  quiet  little  church  at  Purfleet, 
a  very  old  gentleman  fell  down  dead  at  the  door. 
Here  was  a  solemn  warning. 

The  "Cornwall"  Reformatory  School-ship  is 
moored  at  Purfleet.  Some  of  the  boys  came 
ashore  for  a  walk,  neatly  clad  and  very  well 
behaved.  Captain  Burton,  who  commands  this 
interesting  vessel,  received  me  on  board  very 
kindly,  and  the  evening  service  there  was  a  sight 
to  remember  for  ever. 

About  100  boys  sat  in  rows  along  the  old 
frigate's  main-deck,  with  the  open  ports  looking 
on  the  river,  now  reddened  by  a  setting  sun,  and 
the  cool  air  pleasantly  fanning  us.  The  lads 
chanted  the  Psalms  to  the  music  of  a  harmonium, 
played  with  excellent  feeling  and  good  taste,  and 
the  Captain  read  a  suitable  portion,  and  then 
prayer  was  ofiered.  Let  us  both  work  and  pray 
for  poor  vagrant  boys,  whose  claim  on  society  is 
great  indeed  if  measured  by  the  wrong  it  has 
done  them  in  neglect  if  not  in  precept,  nay,  even 
in  example. 


UNDER    SAIL.  11 

Next  morning  tlie  canoe  was  lowered  down  from 
the  hay-loft,  where  she  had  been  kept  in  safety. 
How  many  more  strange  places  she  has  been 
housed  in  since ! 

After  taking  in  supplies  at  Grravesend,we  shoved 
off  into  the  tide,  and  lit  a  cigar,  and  now  I  felt  we 
had  fairly  started.  Then  there  began  a  strange 
and  charming  freedom  and  novelty  which  lasted 
unbroken  to  the  end  of  our  cruise. 

Something  like  this  is  felt  when  you  first  march 
off  with  a  knapsack  ready  to  walk  to  some  vague 
anywhere,  or  when  you  start  alone  in  a  sailing- 
boat  for  a  long  cruise. 

But  then  in  walking  you  are  bounded  by  every 
sea  and  river,  and  in  a  common  sailing-boat  you 
are  bounded  by  every  shallow  and  shore  ;  whereas, 
here  it  was  in  a  canoe,  which  could  be  paddled  or 
sailed,  or  hauled,  or  carried  over  land  or  water  to 
Rome,  if  I  liked,  or  to  Hong-Kong. 

Up  went  my  sail,  and  the  reaches  got  wider  and 
the  water  more  salt,  but  every  part  of  this  course 
was  known,  for  I  had  once  spent  a  fortnight  about 
the  mouth  of  the  Thames  in  my  pretty  little  sailing- 
boat,  the  Kent,  with  only  a  dog,  a  chart,  a  compass, 
and  a  kettle. 

Here  comes  the  steamer  Alexandra,  its  high- 
terraced  American  decks  covered  with  people,  and 
the  crowd  give  a  fine  loud  cheer  to  the  Rob  Roy, 
for  the  newspapers  had  told  of  our  start.  Pre- 
sently the  land  seemed  to  fade  away  at  each  side 
in  pale  distance,  and  the  water  was  more  sea  than 
river,  till  at  the  Nore  we  entered  a  great  shoal  of 
porpoises.  Harmless  and  agile  playfellows,  I  had 
never  been  so  close  to  them  before,  and  in  a  boat 


12  PORPOISES. 

SO  small  as  to  be  almost  disregarded  by  them, 
often  so  sby  and  wily.  The  canoe  rocked  on  the 
waves,  and  the  porpoises  frequently  came  near 
enough  to  be  struck  by  my  paddle,  but  I  did  not 
wage  war,  for  a  flap  of  a  tail  would  have  soon 
capsized  me. 

After  a  pleasant  sail  to  Southend  a  storm  of 
heavy  rain  had  to  be  met  in  its  teeth  by  taking  to 
the  paddle,  until  near  Shoeburyness,  where  I  was 
to  stop  a  few  days  in  the  camp  of  the  National 
Artillery  Association,  which  was  assembled  here 
for  its  first  Prize  shooting. 

The  Eoyal  Artillery  received  us  Yolunteers  on 
this  occasion  with  the  greatest  kindness,  and  as 
they  had  appropriated  the  quarters  of  ofiicers 
absent  on  leave  for  the  use  of  members  of  the 
Council  of  the  Association,  I  was  soon  comfort- 
ably ensconced.  The  camp,  however,  in  a  wet 
field  was  moist  enough ;  but  the  fine  tall  fellows 
who  had  come  from  Yorkshire,  Somerset,  or 
Aberdeen  to  handle  the  68-pounders,  trudged 
about  in  the  mud  with  good  humour  and  thick 
boots,  and*  sang  round  the  camp-fire  in  a  drizzle 
of  rain,  and  then  pounded  away  at  the  target  next 
day,  for  these  were  volunteers  of  the  right  sort. 

As  the  wind  had  then  risen  to  a  gale  it  seemed 
a  good  opportunity  for  a  thorough  trial  of  the 
canoe  in  rough  water,  but  at  a  place  where  she 
would  be  least  injured  by  being  thrown  ashore 
after  an  upset,  and  where  I  might  change  clothes 
after  a  swim. 

The  buoyancy  of  the  Eob  Eoy  astonished  me, 
and  no  less  her  stability.  In  the  midst  of  the 
waves  I  even  managed  to  rig  up  the  mast  and 


A   NOREASTER.  13 

sail,  and  as  we  had  then  no  baggage  on  board  and 
did  not  mind  being  perfectly  wet  through,  in  the 
experiments,  there  was  nothing  left  untried,  and 
the  confidence  then  gained  for  after  times  was 
invaluable. 

Early  next  morning  we  started  directly  in  the 
teeth  of  the  wind,  and  paddled  against  a  very 
heavy  sea  to  Southend,  where  a  nice  warm  bath 
was  enjoyed  while  my  clothes  were  getting  dried, 
and  then  the  Rob  Roy  had  its  first  railway  journey 
along  the  Southend  pier. 

It  was  amusing  to  see  how  much  interest  and 
curiosity  the  canoe  excited  even  on  the  Thames, 
where  all  kinds  of  new  and  old  and  wonderful 
boats  may  be  seen.  The  reasons  for  this  I  never 
exactly  made  out.  Some  wondered  to  see  so  ' 
small  a  boat  at  sea,  others  had  never  seen  a  canoe 
before,  the  manner  of  rowing  was  new  to  most, 
and  the  sail  made  many  smile.  The  graceful 
shape  of  the  boat  pleased  others,  the  cedar  cover- 
ing and  the  jaunty  flag,  and  a  good  many  stared 
at  the  captain's  uniform,  and  they  stared  yet  more 
after  they  had  asked,  "  Where  are  you  going  to  ?" 
and  were  often  told,  "  I  really  do  not  know." 

From  Sheerness  to  Dover  was  the  route,  and 
the  Rob  E.oy  had  to  be  carried  on  the  coals  in  the 
engine-tender,  Avith  torrents  of  rain  and  plenty 
of  hot  sparks  driven  into  her  by  the  gale.  At 
last  she  was  formally  introduced  to  a  baggage- 
waggon  and  ticketed  like  a  portmanteau,  the  first 
of  a  very  long  series  of  transits  in  this  way. 

The  London  Chatham  and  Dover  Railway  Com- 
pany took  this  new  kind  of  "  box "  as  passengers' 
luggage,  so  we  had  nothing  to  pay,  and  the  steamer 


14 


SAILING    ON    THE    SEA. 


say, 


Rollers  off  the  Digue  at  Ostend. 

to   Ostend  was  equally  large-hearted,  so   I 
"  Canoemen,  choose  this  channel." 

But  before  crossing  to  Belgium,  we  had  a  day 
at  Dover,  where  I  bought  some  stuff  and 
had  a  jib  made  for  the  boat  by  deft  and  fair 
fingers,  and  paddled  the  Bob  Boy  on  th6  green 
waves  which  toss  about  off  the  pier-head  most 
delectably.  The  same  performance  was  repeated  on 
the  top  of  the  swell,  tumbling  and  breaking  on 
the   "digue"*  at  Ostend,  where,  even  mtli  little 

*  At  Ostend  I  found  an  EngHsli  gentleman  preparing 
for  a  voyage  on  the  Danube,  for  which  he  was  to  build  a 
"  centre  board"  boat.  Although  no  doubt  a  sailing  boat 
could  reach  the  Danube  by  the  Bamberg  canal,  yet,  after 


ON   THE    MEUSE.  15 

wind,  the  rollers  ran  liigli  on  a  strong  ebb  tide. 
Fat  bathers  wallowed  in  the  shallows,  and  fair 
ones  were  swimming  like  ducks.  All  of  these, 
dressed  most  bizarre,  and  the  babies  squalling  at 
each  dip,  were  duly  admired ;  and  then  we  had  a 
quieter  run  under  sail  on  their  wide  and  straight 
canal. 

With  just  a  little  persuasion  the  railway  people 
consented  to  put  the  canoe  in  the  baggage-van, 
and  to  charge  a  franc  or  two  for  "  extra  luggage" 
to  Brussels.  Here  she  was  carried  on  a  cart 
through  the  town  to  another  station,  and  in  the 
evening  we  were  at  Namur,  where  the  Rob  Hoy 
was  housed  for  the  night  in  the  landlord's  private 
parlour,  resting  gracefully  upon  two  chairs. 

Two  porters  carried  her  through  the  streets 
next  morning,  and  we  tried  to  paddle  on  the 
Sambre,  but  very  soon  turned  down  stream  and 
smoothly  glided  to  the  Mouse. 

Glancing  water,  brilliant  sun,  a  pretty  canoe, 
and  a  light  heart,  all  your  baggage  on  board,  and 
on  a  fast  current, — who  would  exchange  this  for 
any  diligence  or  railway,  or  steamboat,  or  horse  ? 

A  pleasant  stream  was  enough  to  satisfy  at  this 

four  tours  on  that  river  from  its  source  as  far  as  Pest, 
I  am  convinced  that  to  trust  to  sailing  upon  it  would 
entail  much  tedious  delay,  useless  trouble,  and  constant 
anxiety.  If  the  wind  is  ahead  you  have  all  the  labour  of 
tacking,  and  are  frequently  in  slack  water  near  the  banks, 
and  often  in  channels  where  the  only  course  would  be 
dead  to  windward.  If  the  wind  is  aft  the  danger  of 
"running"  is  extreme  where  you  have  to  "broach  to"  and 
stop  suddenly  near  a  shallow  or  a  barrier.  With  a  strong 
side  wind,  indeed,  you  can  sail  safely,  but  this  must  come 
from  north  or  south,  and  the  high  banks  sadly  reduce  its 
effect. 


16  BARRIERS    AND    SHALLOWS. 

early  period  of  tlie  voyage,  for  the  charm  of 
rocks  and  rapids  had  not  yet  been  known.  Ifc 
is  good  policy,  too,  that  a  quiet,  easy,  respect- 
able sort  of  river  like  the  Meuse  should  be  taken 
in  the  earlier  stage  of  a  water  tour,  when  there 
is  novelty  enough  in  being  on  a  river  at  all. 
The  river-banks  one  would  call  tame  if  seen  from 
shore  are  altogether  new  when  you  open  up  the 
vista  from  the  middle  of  the  stream.  The  picture 
that  is  rolled  sideways  to  the  common  traveller 
now  pours  out  upon  you  from  the  front,  ever  en- 
larging from  a  centre,  and  in  the  gentle  sway  of 
the  current  the  landscape  seems  to  swell  on  this 
side  and  on  that  with  new  things  ever  advancing 
to  meet  you  in  succession. 

How  careful  I  was  at  the  first  shallow !  getting 
out  and  wading  as  I  lowered  the  boat.  A  month 
afterwards  we  would  dash  over  these  with  a  shove 
here  and  a  stroke  there  in  answer  to  a  hoarse  croak 
of  the  stones  at  the  bottom  grinding  against  my 
keel.  And  the  first  barrier — how  anxious  it  made 
me,  to  think  by  what  means  shall  we  get  over. 
A  man  appeared  just  in  time  (N.B. — They  always 
do),  and  twopence  made  him  happy  for  his  share 
of  carrying  the  boat  round  by  land,  so  I  jumped 
in  again  as  before. 

Sailing  was  easy,  too,  in  a  fine  wide  river, 
strong  and  deep,  and  with  a  favouring  breeze, 
and  when  the  little  steamer  passed  I  drew  along- 
side and  got  my  penny  roll  and  penny  glass  of 
beer  through  the  porthole,  while  the  wondering 
passengers  smiled,  chattered,  and  then  looked 
grave — for  was  it  not  indecorous  to  laugh  at  an 
Englishman  evidently  mad,  poor  fellow  ? 

The   voyage   was    chequered   by   innumerable 


HUY.  17 

little  events,  all  perfectly  different  from  those 
one  meets  on  shore,  and  when  we  came  to  the 
forts  at  Huy  and  knew  the  first  day's  work  was 
done,  the  persuasion  was  complete  that  quite  a 
new  order  of  sensations  had  begun. 

Next  morning  the  boat  was  found  safe  in  the 
coach-house  and  the  sails  still  drying  on  the 
harness-pegs,  where  we  had  left  them,  but  the 
ostler  and  all  his  folks  were  nowhere  to  be  seen. 
Everybody  had  gone  to  join  the  long  funeral 
procession  of  a  great  musician,  who  lived  fifty 
years  at  Huy,  though  we  never  heard  of  him 
before,  or  of  Huy  either ;  yet  you  see  it  is  in  the 
Map  at  the  end  of  our  log. 

The  pleasure  of  meandering  with  a  new  river 
is  very  peculiar  and  fascinating.  Each  few  yards 
brings  a  novelty,  or  starts  an  excitement.  A 
crane  jumps  up  here,  a  duck  flutters  there,  splash 
leaps  a  gleaming  trout  by  your  side,  the  rushing 
sound  of  rocks  warns  you  round  that  corner,  or 
anon  you  come  suddenly  upon  a  millrace.  All 
these,  in  addition  to  the  scenery  and  the  people 
and  the  weather,  and  the  determination  that  you 
must  get  on,  over,  through,  or  under  every  difii- 
culty,  and  cannot  leave  your  boat  in  a  desolate 
wold,  and  ought  to  arrive  at  a  house  before  dark, 
and  that  your  luncheon  bag  is  long  since  empty ; 
all  these,  I  say,  keep  the  mind  awake,  which  would 
dose  away  and  snore  for  100  miles  in  a  carriage. 

It  is,  as  in  the  voyage  of  hfe,  that  each  care 
and  hardship  is  a  very  Mentor  of  living.  Our 
minds  would  only  vegetate  if  all  life  were  like 
a  straight  canal,  and  we  in  a  boat  being  towed 
along  it.     The  afflictions  that  agitate  the  soul  are 

c 


18  GUN-BAKRELS. 

as  its  shallows,  rocks,  and  wliirlpools,  and  the 
bark  that  has  not  been  tossed  on  billows  knows 
not  half  the  sweetness  of  the  harbour  of  rest. 

The  river  soon  got  fast  and  lively,  and  hour 
after  hour  of  vigorous  work  prepared  me  well 
for  breakfast.  Trees  seemed  to  spring  up  in 
front  and  grow  tall,  but  it  was  only  because  I 
came  rapidly  towards  them.  Pleasant  villages 
floated  as  it  were  to  meet  me,  gently  moviQg. 
All  life  got  to  be  a  smooth  and  gliding  thing, 
of  dreamy  pictures  and  far-off  sounds,  without 
fuss  and  without  dust  or  anything  sudden  or  loud, 
till  at  length  the  bustle  and  hammers  of  Liege 
came  near  the  Rob  Roy — for  it  was  always  the 
objects  and  not  myself  that  seemed  to  move. 
Here  I  saw  a  fast  steamer,  the  Seraing,  propelled 
by  water  forced  from  its  sides,  and  as  my  boat 
hopped  and  bobbed  in  the  steamer's  waves  we 
entered  a  dock  together,  and  the  canoe  was  soon 
hoisted  into  a  garden  for  the  night. 

Gun-barrels  are  the  rage  in  Liege.  Everybody 
there  makes  or  carries  or  sells  gun-barrels.  Even 
women  walk  about  with  twenty  stocked  rifles  on 
their  backs,  and  each  rifle,  remember,  weighs 
10  lbs.  They  sell  plenty  of  fruit  in  the  market, 
and  there  are  churches  well  worth  a  visit  here, 
but  gun-barrels,  after  all,  are  the  prevailing  idea 
of  the  place. 

However,  it  is  not  my  purpose  to  describe  the 
towns  seen  on  this  tour.  I  had  seen  Liege  well, 
years  before,  and  indeed  almost  every  town  men- 
tioned in  these  pages.  The  charm  therefore  of 
this  voyage  was  not  in  going  to  strange  lands,  but 
in  seeing  old  places  in  a  way  so  new. 


EARL    OF    ABERDEEN.  19. 

Here  at  length  the  Earl  of  Aberdeen  met 
me,  according  to  our  plans  arranged  long  before. 
He  had  got  a  canoe  built  for  the  trip,  but  a  foot 
longer  and  two  inches  narrower  than  the  Rob 
Roy,  and,  moreover,  made  of  fir  instead  of  strong 
oak.  It  was  sent  from  London  to  Liege,  and 
the  "combing"  round  the  edge  of  the  deck  was 
broken  in  the  journey,  so  we  spent  some  hours  at 
a  cabinet-maker's,  where  it  was  neatly  mended. 

Launching  our  boats  unobserved  on  the  river, 
we  soon  left  Liege  in  the  distance  and  braved  the 
hot  sun. 

The  pleasant  companionship  of  two  travellers, 
each  quite  free  in  his  own  boat,  was  very  enjoy- 
able. Sometimes  we  sailed,  then  paddled  a  mile 
or  two,  or  joined  to  help  the  boats  over  a  weir, 
or  towed  them  along  as  we  walked  on  the  bank 
for  a  change.^ 

Each  of  us  took  whichever  side  of  the  river 
pleased  him  best,  and  we  talked  across  long  acres 
of  water  between,  to  the  evident  surprise  of  sedate 
folks  on  the  banks,  who  often  could  see  only  one 
of  the  strange  elocutionists,  the  other  being  hidden 
by  bushes  or  tall  sedge.  When  talking  thus  aloud 
had  amplified  into  somewhat  uproarious  singing, 

*  Frequent  trials  afterwards  convinced  me  that  towing 
is  only  useful  if  you  feel  very  cramped  from  sitting.  And 
this  constraint  is  felt  less  and  less  as  you  get  accustomed 
to  sit  ten  or  twelve  hours  at  a  time.  Experience  enables 
you  to  sit  on  the  floor  boards  (never  take  a  mat  or  cushion) 
with  perfect  comfort,  and  on  the  better  rivers  you  have  so 
frequently  to  get  out  that  any  additional  change  is  quite 
needless.  Towing  is  slower  progress  than  paddling  down 
stream,  even  when  your  arms  are  tired,  though  my  canoe 
was  so  light  to  tow  that  for  miles  I  have  drawn  it  by  my 
little  finger  on  a  canal. 

c  2 


20  A   DROWNING   BOY. 

the  chorus  was  far  more  energetic  than  harmonious, 
but  then  the  Briton  is  at  once  the  most  timid  and 
shy  of  travellers,  and  the  most  outre  and  singular 
when  he  chooses  to  be  free. 

The  midday  beams  on  a  river  in  August  are 
sure  to  conquer  your  fresh  energies  at  last,  and  so 
we  had  to  pull  up  at  a  village  for  bread  and  wine. 

The  moment  I  got  into  my  boat  again  a  shrill 
whining  cry  in  the  river  attracted  my  attention, 
and  it  came  from  a  poor  little  boy,  who  had  some- 
how fallen  into  the  water,  and  was  now  making 
his  last  faint  efforts  to  cling  to  a  great  barge  in 
the  stream.  Naturally  I  rushed  over  to  save  him, 
and  my  boat  went  so  fast  and  so  straight  that  its 
sharp  prow  caught  the  hapless  urchin  in  the  rear, 
and  with  such  a  pointed  reminder  too  that  he 
screamed  and  struggled  and  so  got  safely  on  a 
barge. 

On  most  of  the  Belgian,  German,  and  French 
rivers  there  are  excellent  floating  baths,  an  obvious 
convenience  which  is  sadly  wanted  in  Britain, 
though  we  have  quite  as  many  bathers  as  there 
are  abroad. 

The  floating  bath  consists  of  a  wooden  frame- 
work, say  100  feet  long,  moored  in  the  stream, 
which  runs  freely  through  a  set  of  strong  bars 
and  chains  and  iron  network,  forming  a  false  bot- 
tom, shallow  at  one  end  and  deeper  at  the  other, 
so  that  the  bather  cannot  be  carried  away.  Round 
the  sides  there  are  bathing  boxes  and  steps, 
ladders,  and  spring  boards  for  the  various  degrees 
of  aquatic  proficiency. 

The  youths  and  even  the  little  boys  on  the 
"Rhine  are  very  good  swimmers,  and  many  of  them 


iliili 

m 

■il^fcipiiili 


11'. 

1 

;i  i!V 

■'ii 

pi 

% 

If 

i' 

SWIMMERS.  21 

dive  well.  Sometimes  there  is  a  ladies'  bath  of 
similar  construction,  from  which  a  good  deal  of 
very  Kvely  noise  may  be  heard  when  the  fair 
bathers  are  in  a  talkative  mood. 

The  soldiers  at  military  stations  near  the  rivers 
are  marched  down  regularly  to  bathe,  and  one 
day  we  found  a  large  number  of  young  recruits 
assembled  for  their  general  dip. 

While  some  were  in  the  water  others  were 
firing  at  the  targets  for  ball  practice.  There  were 
three  targets,  each  made  of  cardboard  sheets, 
fastened  upon  wooden  uprights.  A  marker  safely 
protected  in  a  ball-proof  mantelet  was  placed  so 
close  to  these  targets  that  he  could  see  all  three 
at  once.  One  man  of  the  firing  party  opposite 
each  target  having  fired,  his  bullet  passed  through 
the  pasteboard  and  left  a  clear  round  hole  in  it, 
while  the  ball  itself  was  buried  in  the  earth  behind, 
and  so  could  be  recovered  again,  instead  of  beiug 
dashed  into  fragments  as  on  our  iron  targets,  and 
then  spattered  about  on  all  sides,  to  the  great 
danger  of  the  marker  and  everybody  else. 

When  three  men  had  thus  fired,  signals  were 
made  by  druin,  flag,  and  bugle,  and  the  firing 
ceased.  The  marker  then  came  out  and  pointed 
to  the  bullet-mark  on  each  target,  and  having 
patched  up  the  holes  he  returned  within  his 
mantelet,  and  the  firing  was  resumed.  This  very 
safe  and  simple  method  of  ball  practice  is  much 
better  than  that  used  in  our  military  shooting. 

As  we  rounded  a  point  there  was  a  large  herd 
of  cattle  swimming  across  the  stream  in  close 
column,  and  the  Rob  Roy  went  right  into  the 
middle  of  them  to  observe  how  they  would  welcome 


22  A   NIGHT   CLIMB. 

a  stranger.  When  in  my  canoe  on  the  Mle  I  have 
seen  the  black  oxen  swim  over  the  stream  night  and 
morning,  reminding  one  of  Pharaoh's  dream  about 
the  "  kine  "  coming  up  out  of  the  river,  a  notion 
that  used  to  puzzle  in  boyhood  days,  but  which  is 
by  no  means  incongruous  when  thus  explained. 
The  Bible  is  a  book  that  bears  the  fullest  blaze  of 
light  upon  it,  for  truth  looks  more  true  when  most 
clearly  seen. 

The  evening  fell  sombre  long  ere  we  came  near 
the  town  of  Maastricht,  in  Holland,  one  of  the 
most  strongly  fortified  places  in  Europe  ;  that  is, 
of  the  old  fashion,  with  straight  high  walls  quite 
impervious  to  the  Armstrong  and  Whitworth 
guns — of  a  century  gone  by. 

But  all  we  knew  as  we  came  near  it  at  night 
was,  that  the  stream  was  deep  and  strong,  and 
that  no  lights  appeared.  Emerging  from  trees, 
the  current  took  us  right  into  the  middle  of  the 
town,  but  where  were  the  houses  ?  Had  they  no 
windows,  no  lamps,  not  even  a  candle — no,  not  a 
spark ! 

Two  great  high  walls  bounded  the  river,  but  not 
a  gate  or  port  could  we  find,  though  one  of  us  care- 
fully scanned  the  right  and  the  other  cautiously 
scraped  along  the  left  of  this  very  strange  place. 

The  cause  of  this  was  that  the  commerce  and 
boats  all  turn  into  a  canal  above  the  old  tumble- 
down fortress,  and  so  the  blank  brick. sides  bounded 
us  thus  inhospitably.  At  last  we  came  to  a  bridge, 
looming  overhead  in  the  blackness,  and  our  arri- 
val there  was  greeted  by  some  Dutch  lads  upon  it 
with  a  shower  of  stones  pattering  pitilessly  upon 
the  dehcate  cedar  of  our  canoes. 


THE    premier's    SON.  23 

At  last  we  found  a  place  where  we  could  cling 
to  the  wall,  which  here  sloped  a  little  with  debris, 
and  now  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  haul  the 
boats  up  bodily  over  the  impregnable  fortification, 
and  thus  carry  them  into  the  sleepy  town.  No 
wonder  the  octroi  guard  stared  as  his  lamplight 
fell  on  two  gaunt  men  in  grey,  carrying  what 
seemed  to  him  a  pair  of  long  coffins,  but  he  was  a 
sensible  though  surprised  individual,  and  he  guided 
us  well,  stamping  through  the  dark  deserted  streets 
to  an  hotel. 

Though  the  canoes  in  a  cart  made  a  decided 
impression  at  the  railway-station  next  day,  and 
our  arguments  logically  proved  that  the  boats 
must  go  as  baggage,  the  porters  were  dense  to 
conviction,  and  obdurate  to  persuasion,  until  all 
at  once  a  sudden  change  took  place ;  they  rushed 
at  us,  caught  up  the  two  neglected  "  bateaux," 
ran  with  them  to  the  luggage-van,  pushed  them 
in,  banged  the  door,  piped  the  whistle,  and  as  the 
train  went  off — "  Do  you  know  why  they  have 
jdelded  so  suddenly  ?  "  said  a  Dutchman,  who 
could  speak  English.  "  Not  at  all,"  said  we. 
"  Because  I  told  them  one  of  you  was  the  son  of 
the  Prime  Minister,  and  the  other  Lord  BusselPs 
son." 

But  a  change  of  railway  had  to  be  made  at 
Aix-la-Chapelle,  and  after  a  hard  struggle  we  had 
nearly  surrendered  the  boats  to  the  "  merchandise 
train,"  to  limp  along  the  line  at  night  and  to  ar- 
rive "perhaps  to-morrow."  The  Superintendent 
seemed  to  clutch  the  boats  as  his  prize,  but  as  he 
gloried  a  little  too  loudly,  his  rival  in  dignity,  the 
"  Chef"  of  the  passengers'  baggage,  came,  listened. 


24  NOTHING   TO   PAY. 

and  with  calm  mien  ordered  for  us  a  special  covered 
truck,  and  on  arriving  at  Cologne  there  was 
"  nothing  to  pay."  ^ 

To  be  quiet  we  went  to  the  Belle  Yue,  at  Deutz, 
which  is  opposite  Cologne,  but  a  great  Singing 
Society  had  its  gala  there,  and  sang  and  drank 
prodigiously.  Next  day  (Sunday  too)  this  same 
quiet  Deutz  had  a  "  Schutzen  Fest,"  where  the 
man  who  had  hit  the  target  best  was  dragged 
about  in  an  open  carriage  with  his  wife,  both 
wearing  brass  crowns,  and  bowing  royally  to  a 
screaming  crowd,  while  blue  lights  glared  and 
rockets  shot  up  in  the  darkness. 

At  Cologne,  while  Lord  A.  went  to  take  our 

*  This  is  an  exceptional  case,  and  I  wrote  from  England 
to  thank  the  officer.  It  would  be  unreasonable  again  to 
expect  any  baggage  to  be  thus  favoured.  A  canoe  is  at  best 
a  clumsy  inconvenience  in  the  luggage-van,  and  no  one 
can  wonder  that  it  is  objected  to.  In  France  the  railway 
fourgons  are  shorter  than  in  other  countries,  and  the  officials 
there  insisted  on  treating  my  canoe  as  merchandise.  The  in- 
stances given  above  show  what  occurred  in  Belgium  and 
Holland.  In  Germany  little  difficulty  was  made  about 
the  boat  as  luggage.  In  Switzerland  there  was  no  objec- 
tion raised,  for  was  not  I  an  English  traveller  ?  As  for 
the  English  railway  guards,  a  few  of  them  have  the  good 
sense  to  see  that  a  long  light  article  like  a  canoe  can  be 
readily  carried  on  the  top  of  a  passenger  carriage,  but  the 
Directors  in  England  do  not  see  that  their  dividends  would 
be  increased  by  a  reasonable  tariff  for  canoes,  which  cause 
less  trouble  than  ordinary  luggage,  for  the  canoeist  will 
always  help  a  porter  to  handle  them.  Probably  some 
distinct  rules  will  be  instituted  by  the  railways  in  each 
country,  when  they  are  found  to  be  liable  to  a  nautical 
incursion,  but  after  all  one  can  very  well  arrange  to  walk 
or  see  sights  now  and  then,  while  the  boat  travels  slower 
by  a  goods-train. 


A  day's  sail.  25 

tickets  at  the  steamer,  tlie  boats  were  put  in  a 
handcart,  which  I  shoved  from  behind  as  a  man 
pulled  it  in  front.  In  our  way  to  the  river  I  was 
assailed  by  a  poor  vagrant  sort  of  fellow,  who  in- 
sisted on  being  employed  as  a  porter,  and  being 
enraged  at  a  refusal  he  actually  took  up  a  large 
stone  and  ran  after  the  cart  in  a  threatening 
passion.  I  could  not  take  my  hands  from  the 
boats,  though  in  fear  that  his  missile  would  smash 
them  if  he  threw  it,  but  I  kicked  up  my  legs  be- 
hind as  we  trotted  along.  One  of  the  sentries 
saw  the  man's  conduct,  and  soon  a  policeman 
brought  him  to  me  as  a  prisoner,  but  as  he 
trembled  now  with  fear  more  than  before  with 
anger,  I  declined  to  give  him  in  charge,  though 
the  police  pressed  this  course,  saying,  "  Travellers 
are  sacred  here."  This  incident  is  mentioned  be- 
cause it  was  the  sole  occasion  when  any  discourtesy 
happened  to  me  during  any  cruise. 

We  took  the  canoes  by  steamer  to  a  wide  part 
of  the  Ehine  at  Bingen.  Here  the  scenery  is 
good,  and  we  spent  an  active  day  on  the  river, 
sailing  in  a  splendid  breeze,  landing  on  islands, 
scudding  about  in  steamers'  waves,  and,  in  fact, 
enjoying  a  combination  of  yacht  voyage,  pic-nic, 
and  boat  race. 

This  was  a  fine  long  day  of  pleasure,  though  in 
one  of  the  sudden  squalls  my  canoe  happened  to 
ground  on  a  bank  just  at  the  most  critical  time, 
and  the  bamboo  mast  broke  short.  The  uncouth 
and  ridiculous  appearance  of  a  sail  falling  over- 
board is  like  that  of  an  umbrella  turned  inside  out 
in  a  gust  of  wind.  Nobody  gets  the  slightest 
sympathy  for  this,  or  for  having  the  gout  or  the 


26  DOWNHILL. 

mumps.  I  got  another  stronger  mast  from  a 
gardener,  one  of  the  long,  green-painted  sticks 
used  as  a  standard  for  hollyhocks  !  This  lasted  all 
the  voyage,  and  the  broken  mast  was  made  into 
a  boom. 

Lord  Aberdeen  went  by  train  to  inspect  the  river 
!Nahe,  but  reported  unfavourably ;  and  I  paddled 
up  from  its  mouth,  but  the  water  was  very  low. 

Few  arguments  were  needed  to  stop  me  from 
going  against  stream  anywhere ;  I  have  a  profound 
respect  for  the  universal  principle  of  gravitation, 
and  quite  allow  that  in  boating  it  is  well  to  have 
the  earth's  strong  attraction  with  you  by  always 
going  down  stream,  and  so  the  good  rule  was  to 
make  steam,  horse,  or  man  take  the  canoe  against 
the  current,  and  to  let  gravity  help  the  canoe  to 
carry  me  down. 

Time  pressed  for  my  fellow-paddler  to  return 
to  England,  so  we  went  on  to  Mayence,  and 
thence  by  rail  to  Asschaffenburg  on  the  Main. 
The  canoes  again  travelled  in  grand  fashion, 
having  a  truck  to  themselves ;  but  instead  of 
the  stately  philosopher  superintendent  of  Aix-la- 
Chapelle,  who  managed  this  gratuitously,  we  had 
a  fussy  little  person  to  deal  with,  and  to  pay  ac- 
cordingly— the  only  case  of  good,  honest  cheating 
I  can  recollect  during  the  voyage. 

A  fellow-passenger  in  the  railway  was  deeply 
interested  about  our  tour  ;  and  we  had  spoken  of 
its  various  details  for  some  time  to  him  before  we 
found  that  he  supposed  we  were  travelling  with 
^Hwo  small  cannons,"  mistaking  the  French  word 
"  canots  "  for  "  canons."  He  had  even  asked 
about  their  length  and  weight,  and  had  heard 


CANOES    AND    CANNONS.  27 

with  perfect  placidity  that  our  "  canons  "  were 
fifteen  feet  long,  and  weighed  eighty  pounds,  and 
that  we  took  them  only  for  "  plaisir,^'  not  to  sell. 
Had  we  carried  two  pet  camelopards,  he  would 
have  been  just  as  little  astonished. 

The  guests  at  the  German  inn  of  this  long- 
named  town  amused  us  much  by  their  respectful 
curiosity.  Our  dress  in  perfect  unison,  both  alike 
in  grey  flannel,  puzzled  them  exceedingly ;  but 
this  sort  of  perplexity  about  costume  and  whence 
why  and  whither  is  an  everyday  occurrence  for 
the  paddler  abroad. 

The  Main  is  an  easy  river,  but  the  scenery  is 
only  so  so.  In  a  fine  breeze  upon  it  we  lost  much 
time  by  forcing  the  canoes  to  do  yachts'  work. 
Sailing  on  rivers  is  rather  a  mistake  unless  with 
a  favourable  wind.  A  storm  of  rain  at  length 
made  it  lunch-time,  so  we  sheltered  ourselves  in  a 
bleak  sort  of  arbour  attached  to  an  inn,  where 
they  could  give  us  only  sour  black  bread  and  raw 
bacon.  Eating  this  poor  cheer  in  a  wet,  rustling 
breeze  and  pattering  rain,  half  chilled  in  our  mac- 
intoshes, was  the  only  time  I  fared  badly,  so  little 
of  "  roughing  it "  was  there  in  this  luxurious 
tour. 

Fine  weather  came  soon  again  and  pleasure, — 
nay,  positive  sporting ;  for  there  were  wild  ducks 
quite  impudent  in  their  familiarity,  and  herons 
wading  about  with  that  look  of  injured  innocence 
they  put  on  when  you  dare  to  disturb  them.  So 
my  friend  capped  his  revolver  pistol,  and  I  acted 
as  a  pointer  dog,  stealing  along  the  other  side  of 
the  river,  and  "  pointing "  the  game  with  my 
paddle. 


28  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES. 

Yast  trouble  was  taken.  Lord  A.  went  ashore, 
and  crawled  on  the  bank  a  long  way  to  a  wily 
bird,  but,  though  the  sportsman  had  shown  him- 
self at  Wimbledon  to  be  one  of  the  best  shots  in 
the  world,  it  was  evidently  not  easy  to  shoot  a 
heron  with  a  revolver. 

As  the  darker  shades  fell,  even  this  rather  stupid 
river  became  beautiful ;  and  our  evening  bath  was 
in  a  quiet  pool,  with  pure  yellow  sand  to  rest  on 
if  you  tired  in  swimming.  At  Hanau  we  stopped 
for  the  night. 

The  wanderings  and  turnings  of  the  Main  next 
day  have  really  left  no  impression  on  my  memory, 
except  that  we  had  a  pleasant  time,  and  at  last 
came  to  a  large  Schloss,  where  we  observed  on 
the  river  a  boat  evidently  English.  While  we 
examined  this  craft,  a  man  told  us  it  belonged  to 
the  Prince  of  Wales,  "  and  he  is  looking  at  you 
now  from  the  balcony.'^  For  this  was  the  Duchess 
of  Cambridge's  Schloss  at  Rumpenheim,  and 
presently  a  four-in-hand  crossed  the  ferry,  and  the 
Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  drove  in  it  by 
the  river-side,  while  we  plied  a  vigorous  paddle 
against  the  powerful  west  wind  until  we  reached 
Frankfort,  and  dried  our  wet  jackets  at  the  Russie, 
one  of  the  best  hotels  in  Europe. 

The  Frankfort  boatmen  were  amazed  next  day 
to  see  the  two  English  canoes  flitting  about  so 
lightly  on  their  river;  sometimes  skimming  the 
surface  with  the  wind,  and  despising  the  contrary 
stream ;  then  wheehng  about,  and  paddling  hither 
and  thither,  in  shallows  where  it  was  "  only 
moist."  For  fun  we  both  got  into  my  canoe, 
which  bore  the  weight  perfectly  well.     However, 


ALONE    AGAIN.  29 

there  was  not  room  for  both  of  us  to  use  our 
paddles  comfortably  in  the  same  canoe."* 

On  Sunday,  the  Royal  personages  came  to  the 
English  church  at  Frankfort,  and,  with  that  quiet 
good  taste  which  wins  more  admiration  than  any 
pageantry,  they  walked  from  the  place  of  worship 
like  the  rest  of  the  hearers. 

There  is  a  true  grandeur  in  simplicity  when  the 
occasion  is  one  of  solemn  things. 

Next  day  my  active  and  pleasant  companion  had 
to  leave  me  on  his  return  to  England.  Not 
satisfied  with  a  fortnight's  rifle  practice  at  Wim- 
bledon, where  the  best  prize  of  the  year  was  won 
by  his  skill,  he  must  return  to  the  moors  and 
coverts  for  more  deadly  sport ;  and  the  calls  of 
more  important  business  besides,  required  his 
presence  at  home.  He  paddled  down  the  Rhine 
to  Cologne,  and  on  the  way  several  times  per- 
formed the  difficult  feat  of  hooking  on  his  canoe 
to  a  steamer  going  at  full  speed. 

Meantime,  my  boat  went  along  with  me  by 
railway  to  Freyburg,  from  whence  a  voyage  really 
new  was  ready  to  begin,  for  as  yet  the  Rob  Roy 
had  not  paddled  in  parts  unknown. 

*  In  the  Canoe  Club  we  have  three  "  tandem  "  canoes, 
each  for  two  paddlers,  and  they  are  very  fast  boats.  In 
May,  1870,  the  Cambridge  branch  of  the  Club  had  races 
with  four  men  in  each  canoe,  using  double  paddles.  Besides 
canoes  of  oak,  cedar,  or  pine,  we  have  them  of  bark,  tin, 
paper,  and  indiarubber. 


CHAPTEE  III. 

Hollentlial  Pass— Lady  Friends — Night  Music— Manners 
— Pontius  Pilate — A  Schwartz wald  Storm — Starers — 
The  Singers — Donaueschingen — Banket — An  English 
Groom — Waiterdom — Source  of  the  Danube — Its 
Name. 

Planning  your  summer  tour  is  a  pleasant  ploy. 
It  is  in  June  or  July  that  the  Foreign  Bradshaw 
suddenly  gets  interesting,  and  its  well-known 
pages  of  "Steamers  and  Railways/'  and  (oh, 
selfish  thought!)  only  one  mind  to  consult  as  to 
whither  away. 

All  this  pleasure  is  a  good  deal  influenced,  how- 
ever, by  true  answers  to  these  questions.  Is  this 
to  be  a  vacation  of  refreshment,  or  an  idle  lounge  ? 
Are  you  going  off  to  rest,  or  to  recruit  delicate 
health,  or  with  vigour  to  enjoy  a  summer  of  active 
exertion  ? 

But  now  the  infallible  Bradshaw  could  not  help 
me  one  atom  about  the  canoe,  and  Baedeker  was 
not  written  for  a  boat;  so  at  Freyburg  my  cogi- 
tations ended  in  the  simple  resolve,  "  Gro  at  once 
to  the  source  of  the  Danube/' 

Next  morning,  therefore,  found  the  Rob  Roy 
in  a  cart,  and  the  grey-clothed  traveller  walking 
beside  it  on  the  dusty  HoUenthal  road.  The  gay, 
light-hearted  exultation  of  being  strong  and  well, 
and  on  a  right  errand,  and  with  unknown  things 
to  do  and  places  to  see  and  people  to  meet,  who 
can  describe  this  ?     How  easy  it  is  at  such  times 


LADY   FillENDS.  31 

to  be  glad,  and  to  tHnk  that  this  is  being 
^^  thankful/' 

After  moralizing  for  a  few  miles,  a  carriage 
full  of  English  people  overtook  me,  and  soon  we 
became  companions.  "  The  English  are  so  dis- 
tant, so  silent,  such  hauteur,  and  gloomy  distrust,'* 
forsooth !  A  false  verdict,  say  I.  The  ladies 
carried  me  off  through  the  very  pretty  glen,  and 
the  canoe  on  its  cart  trundled  slowly  after  us 
behind,  through  the  HoUenthal  Pass,  which  is  too 
seldom  visited  by  travellers,  who  so  often  admire 
the  spire  of  Freyburg  from  the  railway  as  they 
pass  on  their  route  to  Switzerland. 

This  entrance  to  the  Schwartzwald,  'or  Black 
Forest,  is  a  woody,  rocky,  grim  defile,  with  an 
excellent  road,  and  good  inns.  The  villages  are 
of  wood,  and  there  is  a  saw-mill  in  every  other 
house,  giving  a  busy,  wholesome  sound,  mellowed 
by  the  patter  of  the  water-wheel.  Further  on, 
where  tourists'  scenery  stops,  it  is  a  grand,  dark- 
coloured  ocean  of  hills.  The  houses  get  larger 
and  larger,  and  fewer  and  fewer,  and  nearly  every 
one  has  a  little  chapel  built  alongside,  with  a 
wooden  saint's  image  of  life-size  nailed  on  the 
gable  end.  One  night  I  was  in  one  of  these  huge 
domiciles,  when  all  the  servants  and  ploughboys 
came  in,  and  half  said,  half  sung,  their  prayers, 
in  a  whining  but  yet  musical  tone,  and  then 
they  attacked  a  hearty  supper. 

Our  carriage  mounted  still  among  crags,  that 
bowed  from  each  side  across  the  narrow  gorge,  and 
were  crested  above  by  the  grand  old  trees  that  will 
be  felled  and  floated  down  the  Rhine  on  one  of 
those  huge  rafts  you  meet  at  Strasbourg.     But 


32  NIGHT   MUSIC. 

everybody  must  have  seen  a  Rhine  raft,  so  I  need 
not  describe  it,  with  its  acres  of  wood  and  its 
street  of  cabins,  and  its  gay  bannerets.  A  large 
raft  needs  500  men  to  navigate  it,  and  the  timber 
will  sell  for  30,000/. 

At  the  top  of  this  pass  was  the  watershed  of 
the  first  chain  of  hills,  and  the  Rob  Roy  was 
safely  housed  in  the  Baar  Inn,  so  I  set  off  for  a 
long  walk  to  find  if  the  tiny  stream  there  would 
possibly  be  navigable. 

Alone  on  a  hillside  in  a  foreign  land,  and  with 
an  evening  sun  pouring  warm  light  on  the  wild 
mountains,  and  the  playful  breeze  and  the  bleat- 
ing sheep  around  you — there  is  a  strong  senti- 
ment of  independent  delight  that  possesses  the 
mind  then  with  buoyant  gladness  ;  but  how  can  I 
explain  it  in  words,  unless  you  have  felt  this  sort 
of  pleasure  ? 

The  rivulet  was  found  to  be  quite  unsuited  for 
a  canoe ;  so  now  let  me  go  to  bed  in  my  wooden 
room,  where  the  washingbasin  is  oval,  and  the 
partitions  are  so  thin  that  one  hears  all  the  noises 
of  the  place  at  midnight.  Now,  the  long-drawn 
snore  of  the  landlord ;  then,  the  tittle-tattle  of  the 
servants  not  asleep  yet, — a  pussy's  plaintive  mew, 
and  the  scraping  of  a  mouse ;  the  cows  breathing 
in  soft  slumber ;  and  again,  the  sharp  rattle  of  a 
horse's  chain. 

The  elaborate  construction  of  that  edifice  of 
housewifery  called  a  "bett  "  here,  and  which  we 
are  expected  to  sleep  upon,  can  only  be  understood 
when  you  have  to  undermine  and  dismantle  it 
night  after  night  to  arrive  at  a  reasonable  flat 
surface  on  which  to  recline.     First  you  take  off  a 


MANNERS.  33 

great  fluff  bag,  at  least  two  feet  thick,  then  a 
counterpane,  and.  then  a  brilliant  scarlet  blanket ; 
next  you  extract  one  enormous  pillow,  another 
enormous  pillow,  and  a  huge  wedge-shaped  bolster. 
But  why  can't  the  Teutonic  race  put  themselves  to 
sleep  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  without  all 
this  trouble,  by  merely  tilting  up  the  end.  of  a  flat 
bedstead  ? 

Simple  but  real  courtesy  followed  me  through- 
out. Every  one  says  "  Guten  Tag  ;  "  and,  even 
in  a  hotel,  on  getting  up  from  breakfast  a  guest 
who  has  not  spoken  a  word  will  wish  "  Guten 
morgen  "  as  he  departs,  and  perhaps  "  Bon  appe- 
tit "  to  those  not  satisfied  like  himself.  About 
eight  o'clock  the  light  repast  of  tea  or  coffee, 
bread,  butter,  and  honey  begins  the  day ;  at  noon 
is  "  mittagessen,"  the  mid-day  meal,  leaving  all 
proper  excuse  for  another  dining  operation  in  the 
shape  of  a  supper  at  seven. 

No  fine  manners  here !  My  driver  sat  down  to 
dinner  with  me,  and  the  waiter  along  with  him, 
smoking  a  cigar  between  whiles,  as  he  waited  on 
us  both.  But  all  this  is  just  as  one  sees  in  Canada 
and  in  Norway,  and  wherever  there  are  mountains, 
woods,  and  torrent  streams,  with  a  sparse  popu- 
lation ;  and,  as  in  Norway  too,  you  see  at  once 
that  all  can  read,  and  they  do  read.  There  is  more 
reading  in  one  day  in  a  common  house  in  Ger- 
many than  in  a  month  at  the  same  sort  of  place 
in  France."* 

I  had  hired  the  cart  and  driver  by  the  day,  but 

*  In  1867  the  number  of  newspapers  published  in  Eu- 
rope in  the  German  language  was  3,241 ,  of  which  747  were 
political. 

J) 


34  PO^'TIUS  PILATE. 

he  by  no  means  admired  my  first  directions  next 
morning — namely,  to  take  the  boat  off  the  main 
road,  so  as  to  get  to  the  Titisee,  a  pretty  moun- 
tain lake  about  four  miles  long,  and  surrounded 
by  wooded  knolls.  His  arguments  and  objections 
were  evidently  superficial,  for  something  deeper 
than  he  said  was  in  his  mind.  In  fact,  it  appears 
that,  by  a  superstition  long  cherished  there,  Pon- 
tius Pilate  is  supposed  to  be  in  that  deep,  still 
lake,  and  dark  rumours  were  told  that  he  would 
surely  drag  me  down  if  I  ventured  upon  it.^ 

Of  course,  this  decided  the  matter,  and  when  I 
launched  the  Rob  Poy  from  the  pebbly  shore  in  a 
fine  foggy  morning,  and  in  full  view  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  region  (eight  in  number  at  last 
census),  we  had  a  most  pleasant  paddle  for  several 
miles.  At  a  distance  the  boat  was  invisible, 
being  so  low  in  the  water,  and  they  said  that 
"  only  a  man  was  seen  sitting  on  the  surface, 
whirling  a  paddle  about  his  head." 

There  is  nothing  very  remarkable  or  picturesque 
about  this  lake,  except  that  it  is  3,000  feet  above 
the  sea  and  very  lonely,  in  the  middle  of  the 
Black  Forest.  Certainly  no  English  boat  has 
been  there  before. 

After  this,  the  Pob  Roy  is  carted  again  still 
further  into  the  forests.  Lumbering  vehicles 
meet  us,  all  carrying  wood.  Some  have  joined 
three  carts  together  and  have  eight  horses. 
Others  have  a  bullock  or  two  besides,  and  all  the 

*  The  legend  about  Pilate  extends  over  Germany  and 
Italy.  Even  on  the  flanks  of  Stromboli  there  is  a  talus  of 
the  volcano  which  the  people  dare  not  approach,  ''  because 
of  Pontius  Pilate." 


A    SCHWAHTZWALD    STORM.  35 

men  are  intelligent  enough,  for  they  stop  and 
stare,  and  my  driver  deigns  to  tell  them,  in  a 
patois  wholly  heyond  me,  as  to  what  a  strange 
fare  he  has  got  with  a  boat  and  no  other  luggage. 
In  the  end  they  shake  their  heads,  but  invariably 
conclude  that  the  canoe  is  being  carried  about  for 
sale,  and,  indeed,  it  could  have  been  well  sold  fre- 
quently already. 

About  mid-day  my  sage  driver  began  to  mutter 
something  at  intervals,  with  gestures  and  glances 
about  a  storm  overhead.  The  mixture  of  English, 
French,  and  German  on  the  borders  of  the  Rhine 
accustoms  one  to  hear  odd  words.  "  Shall  have 
you  pottyto  ?  "  says  a  waiter,  and  he  is  asking 
if  you  will  have  potatoes.  Another  hands  you 
a  dish,  saying,  it  is  "sweetbone,"  and  you  must 
know  it  is  "  sweetbread." 

Yes,  the  storm  came,  and  as  it  seldom  does 
come  except  in  such  places.  I  once  heard  a 
thunder  peal  while  standing  on  the  crater  of 
Vesuvius,  and  I  have  seen  the  bright  lightning, 
in  cold  and  grand  beauty,  playing  on  the  Falls 
of  JS^iagara  in  a  sombre  night,  but  the  vividness 
of  the  flashes  to-day  in  the  Black  Forest,  and 
the  crashing,  rolling,  and  booming  of  the  terrible 
and  majestic  battery  of  heaven  was  astounding. 
Once  a  bolt  fell  so  near  and  with  such  a  blaze 
that  the  horse,  albeit  tired  enough,  started  off 
down  a  hill  and  made  me  quite  nervous  lest  he 
should  overturn  the  cart  and  injure  my  precious 
boat,  which  naturally  was  more  and  more  dear 
to  me  as  she  was  longer  my  sole  companion. 

As  we  toiled  up  the  Rothenhaus  Pass,  down 
came  the  rain,  whistling    and    rushing   through 

D  2 


36  STARERS. 

the  cold,  dark  forests  of  larch,  and  blackening 
the  top  of  great  Feldberg,  the  highest  mountain 
here,  and  then  pouring  heayy  and  fast  on  the 
cart  and  horse,  the  man,  the  canoe,  and  myself. 
This  was  the  last  rain,  my  boat  got  in  the  tour. 
All  other  days  I  spent  in  her  were  perfectly  dry. 

People  stared  out  of  their  windows  to  see  a 
cart  and  a  boat  in  this  heavy  shower — what !  a 
boat,  up  here  in  the  hills  ?  Where  can  it  be 
going,  and  whose  is  it  ?  They  then  ran  out  to 
us,  and  forced  the  driver  to  harangue,  and  he 
tried  to  satisfy  their  curiosity,  but  his  explanation 
never  seemed  to  be  quite  exhaustive,  for  they 
turned  homeward  very  dubious  and  looking  grave, 
even  though  I  nodded  and  laughed  to  them  through 
the  bars  of  the  cart,  lifting  up  my  head  among 
the  wet  straw. 

The  weather  dried  up  its  tears  at  last,  and  the 
hot  sun  ghttered  on  the  road,  still  sparkling  with 
its  rivulets  of  rain,  and  the  boat  was  dried  by  a 
sponge,  and  a  smart  walk  warmed  its  well-soaked 
captain.  The  horse  too  had  got  into  a  cheerful 
vein,  and  actually  trotted  with  excitement,  for  now 
it  was  down  hill,  and  bright  sun — a  welcome 
change  in  ten  minutes  from  our  labouring  up  a 
steep  forest  road  in  a  thunder-storm. 

The  most  rigid  teetotaller  (I  am  only  a  tem- 
perance man)  would  probably  allow  that  just  a 
very  small  glass  of  kirchwasser  might  be  pre- 
scribed at  this  moment  with  advantage,  and  as 
there  was  no  "  faculty  "  there  but  myself,  I  ad- 
ministered the  dose  medicinally  to  the  driver  and 
to  his  employer,  and  gave  a  bran-mash  and  a  rub 
down  to  the  horse,  which  made  all  three  of  us 


THE    SINGERS.  37 

better  satisfied  with  ourselves  and  each  other, 
and  so  we  jogged  on  again. 

By  dusk  I  marched  into  Donaueschingen,  and 
on  crossing  the  little  bridge  saw  at  once  I  could 
begin  the  Danube  from  its  very  source,  for  there 
were  at  least  three  inches  of  water  in  the  middle 
of  the  stream.  In  five  minutes  a  crowd  assembled 
round  the  boat,  even  before  it  could  be  removed 
from  the  cart.* 

The  ordinary  idlers  came  first,  then  the  more 
shy  townspeople,  and  then  a  number  of  strange 
folk,  whose  exact  position  I  could  not  make  out, 
until  it  was  explained  that  the  great  singing 
meeting  for  that  part  of  Germany  was  to  be  held 
next  day  in  the  town,  and  so  there  were  600 
visitors,  all  men  of  some  means  and  intelligence, 
who  were  collected  from  a  wide  country  round 
about.  The  town  was  in  gala  for  this  meeting 
of  song.  The  inns  were  full,  but  still  the  good 
landlord  of  the  "Poste  "  by  the  bridge  gSiYe  me 
an  excellent  room,  and  the  canoe  was  duly  borne 
aloft  in  procession  to  the  coachhouse.  What  a 
din  these  tenors  and  basses  did  make  at  the  table 
d'hote !  Everything  about  the  Rob  Roy  had  to 
be  told  a  dozen  times  over  to  them,  while  my 


*  After  trying  various  modes  of  securing  the  canoe  in 
a  springless  cart  for  long  journeys  on  rough  and  hilly 
roads^  I  am  convinced  that  the  best  way  is  to  fasten  two 
ropes  across  the  top  of  a  long  cart  and  let  the  boat  lie  on 
these,  which  will  bear  it  like  springs  and  so  modify  the 
jolts.  The  painter  is  then  made  fast  fore  and  aft,  so  as  to 
keep  the  boat  from  moving  back  and  forward.  All  plans 
for  using  trusses  of  straw,  &c.,  fail  after  a  few  miles  of 
rolling  gravel  and  coarse  ruts. 


38  DONAUESCHINGEN. 

driver  had  a  separate  lecture-room  on  the  subject 
for  an  audience  below. 

The  town  was  well  worth  inspection  next  day, 
for  it  was  in  a  violent  fit  of  decoration.  Every 
house  was  tidied  up,  and  all  the  streets  were  swept 
clean.  From  the  humbler  windows  hung  green 
boughs  and  garlands,  rugs,  quilts,  and  blankets ; 
while  banners,  Venetian  streamers,  arches, 
mottoes,  and  wreaths  of  flowers  announced  the 
wealthier  houses.  Crowds  of  gaping  peasants 
paraded  the  streets  and  jostled  against  bands 
drumming  and  tromboning,  and  marching  in  a 
ricketty  manner  over  the  rough  pavement.  Every 
now  and  then  the  bustle  had  a  fresh  paroxysm 
when  four  horses  rattled  along,  bringing  in  new 
visitors  from  some  distant  choir.  They  are  coming 
you  see  in  a  long  four-wheeled  cart,  covered  with 
evergreens  and  bearing  four  pine  trees  in  it  erect 
among  sacks  which  are  used  as  seats — only  the 
inmates  do  not  sit  but  stand  up  in  the  cart,  and 
shout,  and  sing,  and  wave  banners  aloft,  while  the 
hundreds  of  on-lookers  roar  out  the  "  Hoch,"  the 
German  Hurrah !  with  only  one  note. 

As  every  window  had  its  ornament  or  device,  I 
made  one  for  mine  also,  and  my  sails  were  fes- 
tooned (rather  tastefully,  I  flatter  myself)  to  sup- 
port the  little  blue  silk  English  jack  of  the  canoe. 
This  complimentary  display  was  speedily  recog- 
nised by  the  Germans,  who  greeted  it  with 
cheers,  and  sung  glees  below,  and  improvised 
verses  about  England,  and  then  sang  round  the 
boat  itself,  laughing,  shouting,  and  hurraing 
boisterously  with  the  vigour  of  youthful  lungs. 
Never  tell  me  again  that  the  Germans  are 
phlegmatic  ! 


BANKET. 


39 


Singers'  Waggon. 


They  had  a  "banket"  in  the  evening  at  the 
Museum.  It  was  "free  for  all,"  and  so  400  came 
on  these  cheap  terms,  and  all  drank  beer  from 
long  glass  cylinders  at  a  penny  a  glass,  all  smoked 
cigars  at  a  farthing  a  piece,  and  all  talked  and  all 
sang,  though  a  splendid  brass  band  was  playing 
beside  them,  and  whenever  it  stopped  a  glee  or 
chorus  commenced. 

The  whole  affair  was  a  scene  of  bewildering 
excitement,  very  curious  to  contemplate  for  one 
sitting  in  the  midst.      Next  me  I  found  a  young 


40  AN    ENGLISH    GROOM. 

bookseller  who  had  sold  me  a  French  book  in  the 
morning.  He  said  I  must  take  a  ticket  for  the 
Sunday  concert  ;  but  I  told  him  I  was  an 
Englishman,  and  had  learned  in  my  country  that 
it  was  God's  will  and  for  man's  good  to  keep 
Sunday  for  far  better  things,  which  are  too  much 
forgotten  when  one  day  in  seven  is  not  saved  from 
the  business,  excitement,  and  giddiness  of  every- 
day life.  And  is  there  not  a  feeling  of  dull  same- 
ness about  the  unmarked  flight  of  time  in  those 
countries  and  places  where  the  week  is  not  steadied 
and  centred  round  a  solid  day  on  which  lofty  and 
deep  things,  pure  and  lasting  things,  may  have  at 
least  some  hours  of  our  attention  ? 

So  I  left  the  merry  singers  to  bang  their  drums 
and  hoch !  at  each  other  in  the  great  hall  provided 
for  their  use  by  the  Prince  of  Furstemburg.  He 
had  reared  this  near  his  stables,  in  which  are  many 
good  horses,  some  of  the  best  being  English,  and 
named  on  their  stalls  "  Miss,"  "  Pet,"  "  Lady," 
or  "  Tom,"  &c. 

An  English  gentleman  whom  I  met  afterwards 
had  been  travelling  through  Germany  with  a  four- 
in-hand  drag,  and  he  came  to  Donaueschingen, 
where  the  Prince  soon  heard  of  his  arrival.  Next 
day  His  Serene  Highness  was  at  his  stables,  and 
seeing  an  English  visitor  there,  he  politely  con- 
ducted the  stranger  over  the  whole  establishment, 
explaining  every  item  with  minute  care.  He 
found  out  afterwards  that  this  visitor  was  not  the 
English  gentleman,  but  only  his  groom  ! 

The  intelligence,  activity,  and  good  temper  of 
most  of  the  German  waiters  in  hotels  will  surely 
be  observed  by  travellers  whose  daily  enjoyment 


WAITERDOM.  41 

depends  so  mucli  on  that  class.  Here,  for  instance, 
is  a  little  waiter  at  tlie  Poste  Inn.  He  is  the  size 
of  a  boy,  but  looks  twenty  years  older.  His  face 
is  flat,  and  broad,  and  brown,  and  so  is  bis  jacket. 
His  shoulders  are  high,  and  be  reminds  you  of 
those  four  everlasting  German  juveniles,  with 
thick  comforters  about  their  necks,  who  stand  in 
London  streets,  looking  diverse  ways,  blowing 
brass  bombardones,  with  their  cheeks  pufied  out, 
and  their  cold  grey  eyes  turning  on  all  objects 
while  the  music,  or  at  any  rate  a  noise,  blurts  out 
as  if  mechanically  from  the  big,  unpolished  instru- 
ments held  by  their  red  numbed  fingers. 

This  waiter  lad  then  is  all  the  day  at  the  beck 
of  all,  and  never  gets  a  night  undisturbed,  yet  he 
is  as  obliging  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  dark  as  for  the 
early  cofiee  at  sunrise,  and  he  quite  agrees  mth 
each  guest  in  the  belief  that  his  particular  cutlet 
or  cognac  is  the  most  important  feature  of  the 
hour. 

I  honour  this  sort  of  man.  He  fills  a  hard 
place  well,  and  Bismarck  or  Mussurus  cannot  do 
more. 

Then,  again,  there  is  Ulric,  the  other  waiter, 
hired  only  for  to-day  as  an  "  extra,"  to  meet  the 
crush  of  hungry  vocalists  who  will  soon  fill  the 
saal.  He  is  timid  yet,  being  young,  and  only  used 
to  a  village  inn  where  "  The  Poste  at  Donaues- 
chingen  "  is  looked  up  to  with  solemn  admiration 
as  the  pink  of  fashion.  He  was  learning  French 
too,  and  was  sentimental,  so  I  gave  him  a  very 
matter-of-fact  book,  and  then  he  asked  me  to  let 
him  sit  in  the  canoe  while  I  was  to  paddle  it  down 
the  river  to  his  home !      The  naive  simpKcity  of 


42  SOURCE  OF    THE    DANUBE. 

this  request  was  truly  refreshing,  and  if  we  had 
been  sure  of  shallow  water  all  the  way,  it  would 
have  been  amusing  to  carry  such  a  passenger. 

The  actual  source  of  the  Danube  is  by  no  means 
agreed  upon  any  more  than  the  source  of  the  Mle. 
I  had  a  day's  exploration  of  the  country,  after 
seeking  exact  information  on  this  point  from  the 
townspeople  in  vain.  The  land  round  Donaues- 
chingen  is  a  spongy  soil,  with  numerous  rivulets 
and  a  few  large  streams.  I  went  along  one  of 
these,  the  Brege,  which  rises  twenty  miles  away, 
near  St.  Martin,  and  investigated  about  ten  miles 
of  another,  the  Brigach,  a.  brook  rising  near  St. 
Georg,  about  a  mile  from  the  source  of  the 
JN^eckar,  which  river  runs  to  the  Rhine.  These 
streams  join  near  Donaueschingen,  but  by  the  town 
there  bubbles  up  a  clear  spring  of  water  in  the 
gardens  of  the  Prince  near  the  church,  and  this, 
the  infant  Danube,  runs  into  the  other  water  al- 
ready wide  enough  for  a  boat,  but  which  then  for 
the  first  time  has  the  name  of  Donau. 

The  name,  it  is  said,  is  never  given  to  either  of 
the  two  larger  rivulets,  because  sometimes  both 
have  been  known  to  fail  in  dry  summers,  while 
the  bubbling  spring  has  been  perennial  for  ages. 

The  Brege  and  another  confluent  are  caused  to 
fill  an  artificial  pond  close  by  the  Brigach.  This 
lake  is  wooded  round,  and  has'  a  pretty  island,  and 
swans,  and  gold  fish.  A  waterwheel  (in  vain 
covered  for  concealment)  pumps  up  water  to  flow 
from  an  inverted  horn  amid  a  group  of  statuary 
in  this  romantic  pond,  and  the  stream  flowing 
from  it  also  joins  the  others,  and  forms  what  is 
now  the  Danube,  the  old  Eoman  Ister. 


ITS   NAME.  43 

That  there  might  be  no  mistake  however  in  this 
matter  about  the  various  rivulets,  I  went  up  each 
stream  until  it  would  not  float  a  canoe. 

The  name  Donau  is  pronounced  "  Doanow." 
Hilpert  says,  "Donau  allied  to  Don  and  Diina  (a 
river)."  In  Celtic  Dune  means  "  river/'  and  Don 
means  "  brown,"  while  "  ai(, "  in  German  is 
"  island  "  (like  the  English  "  eyot  "). 

These  rivers  are  depicted  in  the  plan  on  our 
map,  and  they  seem  to  preserve  traces  of  their 
Roman  names.  Thus  the  "Brigach  "  is  the  stream 
coming  from  the  north  where  "  Alt  Breisach"  now 
represents  the  Roman  "  Mons  Brisiacus,"  while 
the  "Brege  "  maybe  referred  to  "  Brigantii,"  the 
people  about  the  "Brigantinus  Lacus,"  now  the 
"Boden  See  "  (Lake  Constance),  where  also  Bre- 
gentz  now  represents  the  Roman  "  Brigantius." 
The  river  Neckar  was  "  Nicer ' '  of  old,  and  the 
Black  Forest  was  "Hercynia  Silva." 

The  reader  being  now  sufficiently  confused 
about  the  source  of  the  Danube  and  its  name,  let 
us  leave  the  Latin  in  the  quagmire  and  jump 
nimbly  into  our  canoe. 


CHAPTEE  lY. 

The  Danube — "Guten  Tag" — Canoe  Pleasures — All 
E-r-r-r-ight— The  Weed— Shooting  a  dam — Day's 
delights — Toy  Barrow — Tuttlingen — The  Crowds — The 
Monastery! —  Melanie — Tracts — Monks'  Cowls — Dis- 
tance travelled — Eeflections. 

From  near  the  little  bridge,  on  August  28,  while 
the  singers  sol-faed  excessively,  and  shouted 
"  hochs  "  and  farewells  to  the  English  "  flagge," 
and  the  landlord  bowed  (his  bill  of  thirteen 
francs  for  three  full  days  being  duly  paid),  and 
the  populace  stared,  the  E/ob  Eoy  shot  off  like  an 
arrow  on  a  river  delightfully  new. 

At  first  the  Danube  is  a  few  feet  broad,  but  it 
soon  enlarges,  and  the  streams  of  a  great  plain 
quickly  bring  its  volume  to  that  of  the  Thames  at 
Henley.  The  quiet,  dark  Donau  winds  about  then 
in  slow  serpentine  smoothness  for  hours  in  a  level 
mead,  with  waving  sedge  on  the  banks  and  silken 
sleepy  weeds  in  the  water.  Here  the  long-necked, 
long- winged,  long-legged  heron,  that  seems  to 
have  forgotten  to  get  a  body,  flocks  by  scores  with 
various  ducks,  while  pretty  painted  butterflies  float 
on  the  sunbeams,  and  fierce-looking  dragon-flies 
simmer  in  the  air. 

The  haymakers  are  at  work;  and  half  their 
work  is  hammering  the  soft  edges  of  their  miser- 
able scythes,  and  they  then  dip  them  in  the  water. 
!Now  they  have  a  chat;  and  as  I  whiz  by  the 


"guten  tag."  45 

honest  group  there  is  a  row  of  open  mouths  and 
wondering  eyes,  but  an  immediate  return  to  cour- 
tesy with  a  touch  of  the  hat,  and  "  Guten  Tag  " 
when  presence  of  mind  is  restored.  Then  they 
call  to  their  mates,  and  laugh  with  rustic  satisfac- 
tion— a  laugh  that  is  real  and  true,  not  cynical, 
but  the  recognition  of  a  strange  incongruity,  as 
they  gaze  on  a  reasonable  being  pent  up  in  a  boat 
and  hundreds  of  miles  from  home,  yet  whistling 
most  cheerfully  all  the  time. 

Soon  the  hills  on  either  side  have  houses  and 
old  castles,  and  then  wood,  and,  lastly,  rock; 
and  with  these,  mingling  the  bold,  the  wild,  and 
the  sylvan,  there  begins  a  grand  panorama  of  river 
beauties  to  be  unrolled  for  days  and  days.  Few 
rivers  I  have  seen  surpass  this  IJpper  Danube,  and 
I  have  visited  many  pretty  streams.  The  wood 
is  so  thick,  the  rocks  so  quaint  and  high  and 
varied,  the  water  so  clear,  and  the  grass  so  green. 
Winding  here  and  turning  there,  and  rushing 
fast  down  this  reach  and  paddling  slow  along  that, 
with  each  minute  a  fresh  view,  the  mind  is  ever 
on  the  qui  vive,  or  the  boat  will  go  bump  on  a  bank, 
crash  on  a  rock,  or  plunge  into  a  tree  full  of  gnats 
and  spiders.  This  is  veritable  travelhng,  where 
skill  and  tact  are  needed  to  bear  you  along,  and 
where  the  exertion  of  either  is  rewarded  at  once. 
I  think,  also,  it  promotes  decision  of  character,  for 
you  must  choose,  and  that  promptly,  too,  between, 
say,  five  channels  opened  suddenly  before  you. 
Three  are  probably  safe,  but  which  of  these  three 
is  the  shortest,  deepest,  and  most  practicable  ?  In 
an  instant,  if  you  hesitate,  the  boat  is  on  a 
bank ;  and  it  is  remarkable  how  speedily  the  exer- 


46  CANOE    PLEASURES. 

cise  of  tHs  resolution  becomes  experienced  into 
habit,  but  of  course  only  after  some  rather  severe 
lessons. 

It  is  exciting  to  direct  a  camel  over  the  sandy 
desert  when  you  have  lost  your  fellow-travellers, 
and  to  guide  a  horse  in  trackless  wilds  alone ; 
but  the  pleasure  of  paddling  a  canoe  down  a 
rapid,  high-banked,  and  unknown  river,  is  far 
more  exhilarating  than  these. 

Part  of  this  pleasure  flows  from  the  mere  sense 
of  rapid  motion.  In  going  down  a  swift  reach  of 
the  river  there  is  the  same  sensation  about  one's 
midriff  that  is  felt  when  one  goes  forward 
smoothly  on  a  lofty  rope  swing.  'Now  the  first 
few  days  of  the  Danube  are  upon  very  fast  waters. 
Between  its  source  and  Ulm  the  descent  of  the 
river  is  about  1,500  feet.*  This  would  give  300 
feet  of  fall  for  each  of  a  five  days'  journey  ;  and 
therefore  the  prospect  for  the  day's  voj^age  is 
most  cheering  when  you  launch  in  the  morning 
and  know  that  you  will  have  to  descend  about  as 
much  as  the  height  of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  before 
you  reach  a  halting  for  the  night. 

Another  part  of  the  pleasure  consists  in  the 
satisfaction  of  overcoming  difficulties.  When  you 
have  followed  a  channel  chosen  from  several,  and, 
after  half-a-mile  of  it,  you  see  one  and  another  of 
the  rejected  channels  emerging  from  its  island  to 
join  that  you  are  in,  there  is  a  natural  pride  in 
observing  that  any  other  streamlet  but  the  one  you 
had  chosen  would  certainly  have  been  a  mistake. 

*  The  best  geograpliical  books  give  different  estimates 
of  this,  some  above  and  others  below  the  amount  here 
stated. 


ALL    R-R-K-R-IGHT.  47 

These  reflections  are  by  the  way  ;  and  we  have 
been  winding  the  while  through  a  rich  grassy  plain 
till  a  bridge  over  the  river  made  it  seem  quite  a 
civilized  spot,  and,  just  as  I  passed  under,  one  of 
the  green-boughed  waggons  of  jovial  singers  re- 
turning from  Donaueschingen  drove  merrily  above. 
Of  course  they  recognised  the  canoe,  and  stopped 
to  give  her  a  hearty  cheer,  ending  with  a  general 
chorus  made  up  of  the  few  English  words  of  their 
vocabulary,  "  All  r-r-r-r-ight,  Englishmann  !  " 
"All  r-r-r-r-ight,  Englishmann!"  * 

The  coincidence  of  these  noisy  but  good- 
humoured  people  having  been  assembled  in  the 
morning,  when  the  canoe  had  started  from  the 
source  of  the  Danube,  caused  the  news  of  its 
adventure  to  be  rapidly  carried  to  all  the  neigh- 
bouring towns,  so  that  the  Eob  Roy  was  wel- 
comed at  once,  and  the  newspapers  recorded  its 
progress  not  only  in  Germany  and  France,  but  in 
England,  and  even  in  Sweden  and  in  America. 

At  the  village  of  Geisingen  it  was  discovered 
that  the  boiler  of  my  engine  needed  some  fuel,  or, 
in  plain  terms,  I  must  breakfast.  The  houses  of 
the  town  were  not  close  to  the  river,  but  some 
workmen  were  near  at  hand,  and  I  had  to  leave 
the  canoe  in  the  centre  of  the  stream  moored  to 
a  plank,  with  very  strict  injunctions  (in  most 
distinct  English)  to  an  intelligent  boy  to  take 
charge  of  her  until  my  return ;  and  then  I  walked 
to  the  principal  street,  and  to  the  best-looking 
house,  and  knocked,  entered,  asked  for  breakfast, 
and  sat  down,  and  was  speedily  suppKed  with  an 

*  See  the  sketch  of  this,  ante,  page  39. 


48  THE    WEED. 

excellent  meal.  One  after  another  the  people  came 
in  to  look  at  the  queer  stranger  who  was  clad  so 
oddly,  and  had  come — aye,  hoic  had  he  come  ? 
that  was  what  they  argued  about  in  whispers  till 
he  paid  his  bill,  and  then  they  followed  to  see 
where  he  would  go,  and  thus  was  there  always  a 
congregation  of  inquisitive  but  respectful  observers 
as  we  started  anew. 

Off  again,  though  the  August  sun  is  hot. 
But  we  cannot  stop  now.  The  shade  will  be 
better  enjoyed  when  resting  in  the  boat  under 
a  high  rock,  or  in  a  cool  water  cave,  or  beneath  a 
wooden  bridge,  or  within  the  longer  shadow  of 
a  pine-clad  cliff. 

Often  I  tried  to  rest  those  midday  hours  (for 
one  cannot  always  work)  on  shore,  in  a  house,  or 
on  a  grassy  bank ;  but  it  was  never  so  pleasant  as 
at  full  length  in  the  canoe,  under  a  thick  grown 
oak-tree,  with  a  book  to  read  dreamily,  and  a 
mild  cigar  at  six  for  a  penny,  grown  in  the  fields 
we  had  passed,  and  made  up  at  yesterday's  inn.* 

*  Two  stimulants  well  known  in  England  are  much 
used  in  Germany, — tea  and  tobacco. 

(1)  The  tobacco  plant  (sometimes  styled  a  weed,  because 
it  also  grows  wild)  produces  leaves,  which  are  dried  and 
rolled,  and  then  treated  with  fire,  using  an  appropriate 
instrument,  by  which  the  fumes  are  inhaled.  The  effect 
upon  many  persons  is  to  soothe  ;  but  it  impairs  the  appe- 
tite of  others.  The  use  is  carried  to  excess  in  Turkey.  The 
leaves  contain  a  deadly  poison. 

(2)  The  tea  weed  (sometimes  styled  a  plant,  because  it 
also  grows  under  cultivation)  produces  leaves,  which  are 
dried  and  rolled,  and  then  treated  with  tire,  using  an  ap- 
propriate instrument,  by  which  the  infusion  is  imbibed. 
The  effect  upon  many  persons  is  to  cheer  ;  but  it  impairs 
the  sleep  of  others.  The  use  is  carried  to  excess  in  Russia. 
The  leaves  contain  a  deadly  poison. 


SHOOTING   A   DAM.  49 

Let  it  be  well  understood  that  tliis  picture  only 
describes  the  resting  time,  and  not  the  active 
hours  of  progress  in  the  cooler  part  of  the  day 
before  and  after  the  bright  meridian  sun.  In 
working  hours  there  was  no  lazy  lolling,  the 
enjoyment  was  that  of  delightful  exertion,  varied 
at  every  reach  of  the  river. 

You  start,  indeed,  quietly  enough,  but  are  sure 
soon  to  hear  the  well-known  rushing  sound  of  a 
jnilldam,  and  this  five  or  six  times  almost  every 
day.  On  coming  to  it  I  usually  went  straight 
along  the  top  edge  of  the  weir,  looking  over  for 
a  good  place  to  descend  by,  and  surveying  the 
innumerable  little  streams  below  to  see  my  best 
course  afterwards.  By  this  time  the  miller  and 
his  family  and  his  men,  and  all  the  neighbours, 
would  run  down  to  see  the  new  sight,  but  I 
always  lifted  out  my  little  black  knapsack  and 
put  my  paddle  on  shore,  and  then  stepped  out 
and  pulled  my  boat  over  or  round  the  obstruc- 
tion, sometimes  through  a  hayfield  or  two,  or  by 
a  lane,  or  along  a  wall,  and  then  launched  her 
again  in  deep  water.  Dams  less  than  four  feet 
high  one  can  "  shoot "  with  a  headlong  plunge 
into  the  little  billows  at  the  foot,  but  this 
wrenches  the  boat  if  it  strikes  against  a  stone, 
and  it  is  better  to  get  out  and  ease  her  through, 
lift  her  over,  or  drag  her  round. 


Both  these  luxuries  are  cheap  and  portable,  and  are 
daily  enjoyed  by  millions  of  persons  in  all  climates.  Both 
require  care  and  moderation  in  their  use.  Both  have  ad- 
vocates and  enemies  ;  and  it  cannot  be  settled  by  argument 
whether  the  plant  or  the  weed  is  the  more  useful  or  hurtful 
to  mankind. 

E 


50  day's  delights. 

In  other  places  I  liad  to  sit  astride  on  the 
stern  of  the  canoe,  with  both  legs  in  the  water, 
fending  her  off  from  big  stones  on  either  side, 
and  cautiously  steertQg  * 

But  with  these  amusements,  and  a  little 
wadiQg,  you  sit  quite  dry,  and,  leaning  against 
the  backboard,  smoothly  glide  past  every  danger, 
lolling  at  ease  where  the  current  is  excessive,  and 
where  it  would  not  be  safe  to  add  impetus,  for 
the  shock  of  a  collision  there  would  break  the* 
strongest  boat. 

If  incidents  like  these,  and  the  scenery  and  the 
people  ashore,  were  not  enough  to  satisfy  the  ever 
greedy  mind,  some  louder  plashing,  with  a  deeper 
roar,  would  announce  the  rapids.  This  sound  was 
sure  to  waken  up  any  sleepiness,  and  once  in 
the  middle  of  rough  water  all  had  to  be  energy 
and  life.  I  never  had  a  positive  upset  in  any 
voyage,  but  of  course  I  had  to  jump  out  fre- 
quently to  save  the  boat,  for  the  first  care  was 
the  canoe,  and  the  second  was  my  luggage,  to 
keep  it  all  dry,  the  sketch-book  in  particular, 
while  the  third  object  was  to  get  on  comfortably 
and  fast.  After  hours  of  these  pleasures  of  work 
and  rest,  and  a  vast  deal  seen  and  heard  and  felt 
that  would  take  too  long  to  tell,  the  waning 
sun,  and  the  cravings  within  for  dinner,  warned 
me  surely  that  I  had  come  near  the  stopping-place 
for  the  night. 

The  town  of  Tuttlingen  is  built  on  both  sides 

•  The  invention  of  this  method  was  made  here,  but  its 
great  advantages  were  more  apparent  in  passing  the  second 
rapid  of  Eheinfelden,  as  we  shall  afterwards  describe, 
with  a  sketch. 


TOY    BARROW.  51 

of  the  river,  and  almost  every  house  is  a  dyer's 
shop  or  a  tannery,  with  men  beating,  scraping, 
and  washing  hides  in  the  water.  As  I  allowed 
the  boat  to  drift  among  these  the  boys  soon  found 
her  out — a  new  object — and  therefore  to  boys 
(and  may  it  always  be  so)  well  worth  a  shout 
and  a  run ;  so  a  whole  posse  of  Kttle  Germans 
scampered  along  beside  me,  but  I  could  not  see 
any  feasible-looking  inn. 

It  is  one  of  the  privileges  of  this  water  tour 
that  you  can  survey  calmly  all  the  where- 
abouts ;  and  being  out  of  reach  of  the  touters 
and  porters  who  harass  the  wretched  traveller 
delivered  to  their  grasp  from  an  omnibus  or  a 
steamboat,  you  can  philosophize  on  the  whole 
morale  of  a  town,  and  if  so  inclined  can  pass  it, 
and  simply  go  on.  In  fact,  on  several  occasions 
I  did  not  fancy  a  town,  so  we  went  on  to  another. 
However,  I  was  fairly  nonplussed  now.  It  would 
not  do  to  go  further,  for  it  was  not  a  thickly- 
peopled  country ;  but  we  went  nearly  to  the  end 
of  the  place  in  search  of  a  good  landiag,  till  we 
turned  into  a  millrace  and  stepped  ashore. 

The  crowd  pressed  so  closely  that  I  had  to  fix 
on  a  boy  who  had  a  toy  barrow  with  four  little 
wheels,  and  amid  much  laughter  I  persuaded  the 
boy  to  lend  it  (of  course  as  a  great  honour  to  him), 
and  so  we  pulled  the  boat  on  this  to  the  hotel. 
The  boy's  sixpence  of  reward  was  a  fact  that 
brought  all  the  juvenile  population  together,  and 
though  we  hoisted  the  canoe  into  a  hayloft  and 
gave  very  positive  injunction  to  the  ostler  to  keep 
her  safe,  there  was  soon  a  string  of  older  sight- 
seers admitted  one  by  one ;  and  even  at  night  they 

e2 


62  .TUTTLINGEN. 

were  mounting  the  ladder  with  lanterns,  women  as 
well  as  men,  to  examine  the  "  schiff." 

A  total  change  of  garments  usually  enabled  me 
to  stroll  through  the  villages  in  the  evening 
without  being  recognised,  but  here  I  was  instantly 
known  as  I  emerged  for  a  walk,  and  it  was  evident 
that  an  unusual  attendance  must  be  expected  in 
the  morning. 

Tuttlingen  is  a  very  curious  old  town,  with  a 
good  inn  and  bad  pavement,  tall  houses,  all 
leaning  here  and  there,  and  big,  clumsy,  honest- 
looking  men  lounging  after  their  work,  and 
wonderfully  satisfied  to  chat  in  groups  amid  the 
signal  darkness  of  unlighted  streets;  very  fat 
horses  and  pleasant-looking  women,  a  bridge, 
and  numerous  schoolboys ;  these  are  my  impres- 
sions of  Tuttlingen. 

Even  at  six  o'clock  next  morning  these  boys 
had  begun  to  assemble  for  the  sight  they  ex- 
pected, and  those  of  them  who  had  satchels  on 
their  backs  seemed  grievously  disappointed  to 
find  the  start  would  not  come  off  before  their  hour 
for  early  school. 

However,  the  grown-up  people  came  instead, 
and  flocked  to  the  bridge  and  its  approaches. 
While  I  was  endeavouring  to  answer  all  the 
usual  questions  as  to  the  boat,  a  man  respectfully 
asked  me  to  delay  the  start  five  minutes,  as  his 
aged  father,  who  was  bedridden,  wished  exceed- 
ingly just  to  see  the  canoe.  In  all  such  cases  it 
is  a  pleasure  to  give  pleasure,  and  to  sympathize 
with  the  boundless  delight  of  the  boys,  remem- 
bering how  as  a  boy  a  boat  delighted  me ;  and 
then,  again,   these    worthy,  mother-like,   whole- 


p 


THE   CROWDS.  53 

some-faced  dames,  how  could  one  object  to  their 
prying  gaze,  mingled  as  it  was  with  friendly  smile 
and  genuine  interest  ? 

The  stream  on  which  we  started  here  was  not  the 
main  channel  of  the  Danube,  but  a  narrow  arm 
of  the  river  conducted  through  the  town,  while 
the  other  part  fell  over  the  mill- weir.  The  wood- 
cut shows  the  scene  at  starting,  and  there  were 
crowds  as  large  as  this  at  other  towns ;  but  a 
picture  never  can  repeat  the  shouts  and  bustle,  or 
the  sound  of  guns  firing  and  bells  ringing,  which 
on  more  than  one  occasion  celebrated  the  Eob 
Roy's  morning  paddle. 

The  lovely  scenery  of  this  day's  voyage  often 
reminded  me  of  that  upon  the  Wye,*  in  its  best 
parts  between  Ross  and  Chepstow.  There  were 
the  white  rocks  and  dark  trees,  and  caverns, 
crags,  and  jutting  peaks  you  meet  near  Tintern ; 
but  then  the  Wye  has  no  islands,  and  its  muddy 
water  at  full  tide  has  a  worse  substitute  in  muddier 
banks  when  the  sea  has  ebbed. 

The  islands  on  beauteous  Donau  were  of  all 
sizes  and  shapes.  Some  low  and  flat,  and 
thickly  covered  with  shrubs ;  others  of  stal- 
wart rock,  stretching  up  at  a  sharp  angle,  under 
which  the  glassy  water  bubbled  all  fresh  and 
clear. 

Almost  each  minute  there  was  a  new  scene, 
and  often  I  backed  against  the  current  to  hold 
my  post  in  the  best  view  of  some  grand  picture. 

*  Murray  says  :  "  The  Meuse  lias  been  compared  to  the 
"Wye ;  but  is  even  more  romantic  than  the  English  river." 
I  would  rank  the  Wye  as  much  above  the  Meuse  as  below 
the  Danube  for  romance  in  scenery. 


54  THE    MONASTEEY. 

Magnificent  crags  reached  high,  up  on  both  sides, 
and  impenetrable  forests  rung  with  echoes  from 
the  canoeist's  shout  in  the  glee  of  freedom  and 
hardy  exercise. 

But  scenes  and  sentiments  will  not  feed  the 
hungry  paddler,  so  we  decided  to  stop  at  Fried- 
ingen,  a  village  on  the  bank.  There  was  a 
difficulty  now  as  to  where  the  canoe  could  be  left, 
for  no  inn  seemed  near  enough  to  let  me  guard 
her  while  I  breakfasted.  At  length  a  mason 
helped  me  to  carry  the  E-ob  Boy  into  a  donkey's 
stable,  and  a  boy  volunteered  to  guide  the  stranger 
to  the  best  inn.  The  first,  and  the  second,  and 
the  third  he  led  me  to  were  all  beerhouses,  where 
only  drink  could  be  had;  and  as  the  crowd 
augmented  at  every  stage,  I  dismissed  the  ragged 
cicerone,  and  trusted  myself  instead  to  the  sure 
leading  of  that  unnamed  instinct  which  guides  a 
hungry  man  to  food.  Even  the  place  found  at 
last,  was  soon  filled  with  wondering  spectators. 
A  piece  of  a  German  and  English  dictionary  from 
my  baggage  excited  universal  attention,  and  was 
several  times  carried  outside  to  those  who  had  not 
secured  reserved  seats  within. 

The  magnificent  scenery  culminated  at  Beuron, 
where  a  great  convent  on  a  rich  mound  of  grass  is 
nearly  surrounded  by  the  Danube,  amid  a  spacious 
amphitheatre  of  magnificent  white  cliffs  perfectly 
upright,  and  clad  with  the  heaviest  wood. 

The  place  looks  so  lonely,  though  fair,  that  you 
could  scarcely  believe  that  you  might  stop  there 
for  the  night,  and  so  I  had  nearly  swept  by  it 
again  into  perfect  solitude,  but  at  last  pulled  up 
under  a  tree,  and  walked  through  well  ploughed 


MELANIE.  55 

fields  to  tlie  little  hamlet  in  tliis  sequestered 
spot. 

The  field  labourers  were  of  course  surprised  at 
the  apparition  of  a  man  in  flannel,  who  must  have 
come  out  of  the  river ;  but  the  people  at  the 
Kloster  had  already  heard  of  the  ^^schiff/'  and 
the  Rob  Roy  was  soon  mounted  on  two  men's 
shoulders,  and  borne  in  triumph  to  the  excellent 
hotel.  The  Prince  who  founded  the  monastery  is, 
I  believe,  himself  a  monk. 

Now  tolls  the  bell  for  "  even  song,"  while  my 
dinner  is  spread  in  an  arbour  looking  out  on  this 
grand  scene,  made  grander  still  by  dark  clouds 
gathering  on  the  mountains,  and  a  loud  and  long 
thunder  peal,  with  torrents  of  rain. 

This  deluge  of  wet  came  opportunely  when  I 
had  such  good  shelter,  as  it  cooled  the  air,  and  it 
would  strengthen  the  stream  of  the  river ;  so  I 
admired  the  venerable  monks  with  complacent 
satisfaction,  a  feeling  never  so  complete  as  when 
you  are  inside,  and  you  look  at  people  who  are 
out  in  the  rain. 

A  young  girl  on  a  visit  to  her  friends  here 
could  talk  bad  French  rapidly,  so  she  was  sent  to 
gossip  with  me  as  I  dined ;  and  then  the  whole 
family  inspected  my  sketch-book,  a  proceeding 
which  happened  at  least  twice  every  day  for  many 
weeks  of  the  voyage.  This  emboldened  me  to 
ask  for  some  music,  and  we  adjourned  to  a 
great  hall,  where  a  concert  was  soon  in  progress 
with  a  guitar,  a  piano,  and  a  violin,  all  well 
played  ;  and  the  Germans  are  never  at  a  loss  for 
a  song. 

My  young  visitor,  Melanie,  then  became  the 


56  TRACTS. 

interpreter  in  a  curious  conversation  with,  the 
others,  who  could  speak  only  German ;  and  our 
thoughts  were  turned  on  some  of  the  nobler  things 
which  ought  not  ever  to  be  long  absent  from  the 
mind — I  mean,  what  is  loved,  and  feared,  enjoyed, 
and  derided,  as  "  religion." 

In  my  very  limited  baggage  I  had  brought 
some  selected  pieces  and  Scripture  anecdotes  and 
other  papers  in  French  and  German,  and  these 
were  used  on  appropriate  occasions,  and  were 
always  well  received,  often  with  exceedingly  great 
interest  and  sincere  gratitude. 

Some  people  are  shy  about  giving  tracts,  or  are 
even  afraid  of  them.  But  then  some  people  are 
shy  of  speaking  at  all,  or  even  dislike  to  ride,  or 
skate,  or  row.  One  need  not  laugh  at  another  for 
this. 

The  practice  of  carrying  a  few  printed  pages  to 
convey  in  clear  language  what  one  cannot  accu- 
rately speak  in  a  foreign  tongue  is  surely  allow- 
able, to  say  the  least.  But  I  invariably  find  it 
to  be  very  useful  and  interesting  to  myself  and 
to  others;  and,  as  it  hurts  nobody,  and  has 
nothing  in  it  of  which  to  be  proud  or  ashamed, 
and  as  hundreds  of  men  do  it,  and  as  I  have  done 
it  for  years,  and  will  do  it  again,  I  am  far  too 
old  a  traveller  to  be  laughed  out  of  it  now. 

The  Kloster  at  Beuron  is  a  favourite  place  for 
excursionists  from  the  towns  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  no  doubt  some  day  soon  it  will  be  a 
regular  "place  to  see^'  for  English  travellers 
paddHng  down  the  Danube;  for  it  is  thus,  and 
only  thus,  you  can  approach  it  with  full  effect. 
The  moon  had  come  forth  as  I  leaned  out  of  my 


monks'  cowls.  57 

bedroom  window,  and  it  wHtened  tlie  ample  circus 
of  beetling  crags,  and  darkened  the  trees,  while  a 
fainter  and  redder  light  glimmered  from  the 
monks'  chapel  as  now  and  then  the  low  tones  of 
midnight  chanting  reached  the  ear.  Perhaps 
it  is  better  to  wear  a  monk's  cowl  than  to  wear 
consistently  a  layman's  common  coat  in  the  work- 
day throng  of  life ;  and  it  may  be  better  to  fast 
and  chant  and  kneel  at  shrines  than  to  be  tempe- 
rate and  thankful  and  prayerful  in  the  busy  world. 
But  I  doubt. 

After  leaving  Beuron,  with  the  firing  of  guns 
and  the  usual  pleasant  good  wishes  from  the  shore, 
the  Danube  carried  us  between  two  lofty  rocks, 
and  down  calm  reaches  for  hours.  The  water  was 
unspeakably  clear ;  you  could  see  right  into  deep 
caverns  far  below.  I  used  to  gaze  downwards  for 
so  long  a  time  at  the  fish  moving  about,  and  to 
strike  at  them  with  my  long  paddle  (never  once 
hitting  any),  that  I  forgot  the  boat  was  swinging 
along  all  the  time,  till  bump  she  went  on  a  bank, 
or  crash  against  a  rocky  isle,  or  rumbling  into 
some  thick  trees,  when  a  shower  of  leaves,  spiders, 
and  rubbish  wakened  up  my  reverie.  Then, 
warned  by  the  shock,  I  return  to  the  plain  duty 
of  looking  ahead,  until,  perhaps,  after  an  hour's 
active  rushing  through  narrow  "  guts,"  and  over 
little  falls,  and  getting  out  and  hauling  the  boat 
down  larger  ones,  my  eyes  are  wandering  again, 
gazing  at  the  peaks  overhead,  and  at  the  eagles 
soaring  above  them,  and  at  the  clear  blue  sky 
above  all ;  till  once  more  the  Rob  Eoy  heels  over 
on  a  sunken  stone,  and  I  have  to  jump  out  nimbly 
to  save  her   from  utter  destruction.       For  days 


58  DISTANCE   TRAVELLED. 

together  I  had.  my  feet  bare,  and  my  trousers 
tucked  up,  ready  to  wade  at  any  moment,  and 
perfectly  comfortable  all  the  time,  for  a  fiery  sun 
dried  everything  in  a  minute. 

The  physical  enjoyment  of  such  a  life  to  one  in 
good  health  and  good  spirits,  with  a  good  boat  and 
good  scenery,  is  only  to  be  appreciated  after  expe- 
rience ;  for  these  little  reminders  that  one  must 
not  actually  sleep  on  a  rushing  river  never  resulted 
in  any  disaster,  and  I  came  safely  home  from 
four  such  lonely  cruises  without  a  cold  or  a 
scratch,  or  a  hole  in  the  boat,  or  one  single  day 
regretted.  May  this  be  so  for  many  a  John  Bull 
let  loose  to  "  paddle  his  own  canoe." 

On  some  occasions,  doubtless,  you  may  have  to 
wish  for  the  end  of  the  day's  work,  when  arms 
were  weary,  and  the  sun  was  low,  and  yearnings 
of  the  inner  man  grumbled  for  dinner,  especially 
when  no  one  could  tell  how  far  it  was  to  any 
house,  or  whether  you  could  stop  there  all  night 
if  you  reached  it.* 

*  Famine  was  never  felt  in  the  Baltic  voyage.  Provi- 
sions and  a  cooking  apparatus  had  been  added  to  the  stores. 
One  of  the  four  prizes  in  the  first  Canoe  Club  regatta 
at  Thames  Ditton^  on  April  27,  1867,  contended  for  by- 
five  canoes  in  "a  chase  over  land  and  water/'  was  a 
beautiful  little  kitchen,  which  cooks  for  two  men  and 
weighs  21b.  It  now  bears  the  following  inscription: — 
"  Designed  by  the  Captain,  presented  by  the  Cook,  won 
by  the  Purser." — In  the  cruise  on  the  Jordan  and  Nile  I 
could  sleep  in  my  canoe,  and  carried  provisions  for  four 
days,  but  then  there  were  no  weirs  to  haul  over,  and  often 
no  villages  to  stop  at,  and  always  an  imperative  necessity 
to  be  prepared  with  food  and  lodging  from  one's  own 
resources  entirely.  Moreover,  the  safest  bivouacs  in  the 
East  were  always  in  the  loneliest  haunts. 


HEFLECTIONS.  59 

On  the  rivers  where  there  is  no  navigation  and 
no  towing  paths  it  was  impossible  to  estimate  the 
distances  traversed  each  day,  except  by  the  num- 
ber of  hours  I  was  at  work,  the  average  speed, 
the  strength  of  the  wind  and  current,  and  the 
number  of  stoppages  for  food  or  rest,  or  mill- 
weirs,  waterfalls,  or  barriers.  Thirty  miles  was 
reckoned  to  be  a  good  day's  work,  and  I  have 
sometimes  gone  forty  miles  in  a  day  even  in  rough 
Swedish  lakes  ;  but  twenty  miles  was  quite  enough 
when  the  scenery  and  incidents  on  the  way  filled 
up  every  moment  of  time  with  varied  sensations 
of  pleasures. 

It  will  generally  be  found,  we  think,  that  for 
walking  in  a  pleasant  country  twenty  miles  a  day 
is  enough  for  mind  and  body  to  be  active  and 
observant  all  the  time.  But  the  events  that  occur 
in  river  work  are  far  more  frequent  and  interesting 
than  those  on  the  road,  for  you  have  all  the  cir- 
cumstances of  your  boat  in  addition  to  what  fills 
the  pedestrian's  journal,  and  after  a  little  time 
your  canoe  becomes  so  much  a  companion  (friend, 
shall  I  say  ?)  that  every  turn  it  takes  and  every 
knock  and  grate  on  its  side  is  felt  as  if  it  were  your 
own.  The  boat  gets  to  be  individualized,  and  so 
does  the  river,  till  at  last  there  is  a  pleasant  rivalry 
set  up,  for  it  is  "  man  and  boat "  versus  the  river 
and  all  it  can  place  in  your  way. 

After  a  few  tours  on  the  Continent  your  first 
hour  in  a  railway  or  diligence  may  be  new  and 
enjoyable,  but  you  soon  begin  to  wish  for  the  end 
of  the  road,  and  then  after  a  short  stay  in  the 
town  at  the  end  you  begin  to  talk  (or  think)  of 
when  you  are  to  leave.     Now  a  feature  of  the 


60  .REFLECTIONS. 

canoe  tour  is  that  quiet  progress  can  be  enjoyed 
all  the  time,  because  you  have  personal  exertion 
or  engagement  for  every  moment,  and  your 
observation  of  the  scenery  around  is  now  most 
minute  and  interesting,  because  every  bend 
and  slope  of  it  tells  at  once  upon  what  you  have  to 
do.  Certainly  the  pleasure  of  a  day  is  not  to  be 
measured  by  the  number  of  miles  you  have  gone 
over.  The  voyage  yesterday,  for  instance,  was 
one  of  the  very  best  for  enjoyment  of  scenery, 
incident,  and  exercise,  yet  it  was  the  shortest 
day  we  had.  The  guide-book  says,  "Tuttlingen 
is  twelve  miles  " — by  river,  say  eighteen — "  from 
Kloster  Beuron,  where  the  fine  scenery  begins. 
This  part  of  the  Danube  is  not  navigable." 


CHAPTER  V, 


Panting  Visitors — Sigmaringen — Eoman  Nose — Herons  in 
Council — Among  the  Haymakers — Boating  Boy — 
Winged  Music— Arched  Chasms — Hidden  Song — 
Navvies  —  Different  Dangers  —  A  Gale  —  Hungry 
Nap— Chasing  a  Church — Snags  in  Darkness — The 
Vagrant — Classics — Hotel  Bills. 


The  sides  of  the  river  were  now  less  precipitous, 
and  the  road  came  witliin  a  field  or  two  of  the 
water,  so  things  seemed  quite  homely  for  a  time. 

I  had  heard  a  loud  jingling  sound  on  this  road 
for  at  least  half  an  hour,  and  observed  a  long  cart 
with  two  horses  trotting  fast,  and  evidently 
daring  to  race  with  the  Rob  Roy.  But  at  length 
such  earnest  signals  were  made  from  it  that  I 
stopped,  and  the  cart  at  once  pulled  up,  and  from 
it  there  ran  across  the  field  a  man  breathless  and 
hot,  without  his  hat,  and  followed  by  two  young 
ladies,  equally  hurried.  He  was  a  German,  resi- 
dent for  a  short  time  in  London,  and  now  at  home 
for  a  month's  holiday,  and  he  was  prodigal  of 
thanks  for  my  ^' great  courtesy"  in  having  stopped 
that  the  ladies  might  see  the  canoe  which  they 
had  followed  thus  for  several  miles,  having  heard  of 
its  fame  at  their  village.  On  another  occasion 
three  youths  voluntarily  ran  alongside  the  boat 
and  panted  in  the  sun,  and  tumbled  over  stocks 
and  stones  at  such  a  rate,  that  after  a  mile  of 
the  supererogatory  exercise,  I  asked  what  it  was 


62  SIGMARINGEN. 

all  about.  Excellent  villagers !  they  had  taken 
all  this  trouble  to  arrive  at  a  point  further  down 
the  stream  where  they  knew  there  was  a  hard 
place,  and  they  thought  they  might  help  me  in 
passing  it. 

Such  exertions  on  behalf  of  a  stranger  were 
really  most  kind,  and  when  I  allowed  them  to 
give  a  nominal  help  (where  in  reality  it  was  easy 
enough  to  get  on  unaided),  they  were  much  de- 
lighted and  more  than  rewarded,  and  went  back 
prattling  their  purest  Suabian  in  a  highly  satisfied 
frame  of  mind. 

Many  are  the  bends  and  currents,  but  at  last 
we  arrived  at  the  town  of  Sigmaringen.  It  had 
certainly  an  aristocratic  air,  though  there  are  only 
3,000  inhabitants ;  but  then  it  had  a  Principality, 
though  the  whole  population  of  this  was  only 
52,000.  Fancy  a  parish  m  London  with  a  Prince 
all  to  themselves,  and  bearing  such  a  find  grand 
name  too — "His  Royal  Serene  Highness  the 
Hereditary  Prince  of  Hohenzollern  Sigmaringen." 
But  though  I  have  often  laughed  at  this  petty 
kingdom  in  the  geography  books,  I  shall  never 
do  so  again,  for  it  contains  some  of  the  most 
beautiful  river  scenery  in  the  world,  and  I  never 
had  more  unalloyed  pleasure  in  passiug  through  a 
foreign  dominion. 

There  are  pretty  gardens  here,  and  a  handsome 
Protestant  church,  also  a  few  good  shops,  schlosses 
on  the  hills,  and  older  castles  perched  on  high  rocks 
in  the  usual  picturesque  and  uncomfortable  places 
where  our  ancestors  built  their  nests. 

The  Deutscher  Hof  is  the  hotel  just  opened 
three  weeks  ago,  and  all  its  iumates  are  in  a  flutter 


ROMAN   NOSE.  63 

when  their  first  English  guest  marches  up  to  the 
door  with  a  boat  and  a  great  many  gazers. 
The  waiter  too,  all  fresh  from  a  year  in  London 
at  the  Palace  Hotel,  Buckingham  Gate,  how  glad 
he  is  that  his  English  vocabulary  is  now  in  requi- 
sition, sitting  by  me  at  dinner  and  talking  most 
sensibly  all  the  time. 

The  weather  still  continued  superb  as  we 
paddled  away.  Deep  green  woods  dipped  their 
lower  branches  in  the  water,  but  I  found  that  the 
stream  had  sometimes  a  fashion  of  carrying  the 
boat  under  these,  and  it  is  especially  needful  to 
guard  against  this  when  a  sharp  bend  with  a  fast 
current  hurries  you  into  a  wooded  corner.  Indeed, 
strange  as  it  may  seem,  there  was  more  danger  to 
the  boat  from  these  trees  than  from  rocks  or 
banks,  and  far  more  trouble.  For  when  the  boat 
gets  under  their  low  branches  your  paddle  is  quite 
powerless,  because  you  cannot  lower  one  end  to 
hold  the  water  without  raising  the  other  and  so 
catching  it  in  the  trees.  Then  if  you  put  your 
head  down  forward  you  cannot  see,  and  the  boughs 
are  generally  as  hard  as  an  ordinary  skull  when 
the  two  are  in  coUision.  Finally,  if  you  lean 
backwards  the  twigs  scrape  your  face  and  catch 
upon  a  nose  even  of  ordinary  length,  and  if  you 
take  your  hand  from  the  paddle  to  protect  the 
face  away  goes  the  paddle  into  the  river.  There- 
fore, although  my  hat  was  never  knocked  off,  and 
my  skull  was  always  the  hardest,  and  my  paddle 
was  never  lost,  and  my  nose  was  never  de-Ro- 
manized by  the  branches,  I  set  it  down  as  a  maxim, 
to  keep  clear  of  trees  in  a  stream. 

Still  it  was  tempting  to  go  under  shady  groves 


64  HEJIONS   IN   COUNCIL. 

when  I  tried  to  surprise  a  flock  of  herons  or  a 
family  of  wild  ducks. 

Once  we  came  upon  twenty-four  herons  all 
together.  As  my  boat  advanced  silently  gliding, 
it  was  curious  to  watch  these  birds,  who  had 
certainly  never  been  disturbed  before  by  any  boat 
in  such  a  place. 

They  stared  eagerly  at  me  and  then  looked  at 
each  other,  and  evidently  took  a  vote  of  the 
assembly  as  to  what  all  this  could  mean.  If  birds' 
faces  can  give  any  expression  of  their  opinions,  it 
is  certain  that  one  of  these  herons  was  saying 
then  to  the  others  "  Did  you  ever  ?"  and  an  in- 
dignant sneer  was  on  another's  beak  that  plainly 
answered,  "Such  impudence  indeed!"  while  a 
third  added,  with  a  sarcastic  chirp,  "And  a 
foreigner  too !"  But,  after  consultation,  they 
always  got  up  and  circled  round,  flew  down 
stream,  and  then  settled  all  again  together  in  an 
adjourned  meeting.  A  few  minutes  brought  me 
to  their  new  retreat,  and  so  we  went  on  for  miles, 
they  always  flying  down  stream,  and  always 
assembling,  though  over  and  over  again  disturbed, 
until  at  last  an  amendment  on  the  plan  was  moved 
in  their  Parliament,  and  they  bent  their  way  aside. 

A  pleasant  and  favourable  breeze  springing  up, 
which  soon  freshened  into  a  gale,  my  sails  were 
set,  and  the  boat  went  at  her  best  speed;  dashing 
over  rocks  and  bounding  past  the  haymakers  so 
fast  that  when  one  who  had  caught  sight  of  her 
had  shouted  to  the  rest  of  his  "  mates,"  the 
sight  was  departed  for  ever  before  they  came,  and 
I  heard  them  behind  me  arguing  in  excited  tones, 
probably  about  the  ghost. 

But  it  was  a  shame  to  be  a  phantom  ship  too 


AMONG   THE    HAYxMAKERS. 


65 


"  Tn  the  Ha> fields." 


often,  and  it  was  far  more  amusing  to  go  right 
into  the  middle  of  these  people,  who  knew  nothing 
about  the  canoe,  who  had  never  seen  a  boat,  and 
never  met  a  foreigner  in  their  lives.  Thus,  when 
a  waterfall  was  found  too  high  to  "  shoot,*'  or  a 
wide  barrier  made  it  advisable  to  take  the  boat 
by  land,  I  used  to  walk  straight  into  the  hayfields, 
pushing  the  boat  point  foremost  through  a  hedge, 
or  dragging  her  steadily  over  the  wet  newly- 
mown  grass  in  literal  imitation  of  the  American 
craft  which  could  go  "  wherever  there  was  a  heavy 
dew."  On  such  occasions  the  amazement  of  the 
untaught  clowns  was  beyond  all  description.  Some 
even  ran  away,  very  often  children  cried  outright, 

r 


66  BOATING    BOY. 

and  wlieii  the  grey  stranger  looked  gravely  on 
the  ground  as  he  marched  and  dragged  the  boat, 
and  then  suddenly  stopped  in  their  midst  with  a 
laugh  and  an  English  harangue,  the  whole  pro- 
ceeding must  have  seemed  to  them  at  least  as 
strange  as  it  did  to  me. 

The  water  of  the  river  all  at  once  became  here 
of  a  pale  white  colour,  and  I  was  mourning  that 
the  pretty  scenes  in  the  deep  below  were  clouded ; 
but  in  about  thirty  miles  the  pebbles  appeared 
again,  and  the  stream  resumed  its  charming 
limpid  clearness.  This  matter  of  dark  or  bright 
water  is  of  some  importance,  because  when  it  is  clear 
you  can  easily  estimate  after  a  little  experience 
the  general  depth,  even  at  some  distance,  by  the 
shades  and  hues  of  the  water,  while  the  sunk  rocks, 
big  stones,  and  other  particular  obstacles  are  of. 
course  more  visible  then. 

Usually  I  got  well  enough  fed  at  some  village, 
or  at  least  at  a  house,  but  in  this  lonely  part  of 
the  river  it  seemed  wise  to  take  provender  with 
me  in  the  boat,  and  to  picnic  in  some  quiet  pool, 
with  a  shady  tree  above.  One  of  the  very  few 
boats  I  saw  on  the  river  appeared  as  I  was  thus 
engaged,  and  a  little  boy  was  in  it.  His  specimen 
of  naval  architecture  (no  doubt  the  only  one  he 
had  ever  seen)  was  an  odd  contrast  to  my  polished 
canoe.  He  had  a  pole  and  a  shovel ;  the  latter 
article  he  used  as  a  paddle,  and  his  boat  was  of 
enormous  thickness  and  clumsiness,  made  of  three 
planks,  abundantly  clamped  with  iron.  I  gave 
him  some  bread,  and  we  had  a  chat ;  then  some 
butter,  and  then  some  cheese.  He  would  not  take 
wine,  but  he  produced  a  cigar  from  his  wet  jacket, 


WINGED    MUSIC.  67 

and  also  two  matches,  whicli  he  lighted  with  great 
skill.  We  soon  got  to  be  friends,  as  people  do 
who  are  together  alone,  and  in  the  same  mode  of 
travelling,  riding,  or  sailing,  or  on  camels'  backs. 
So  we  smiled  in  sympathy,  and  I  asked  him  if  he 
could  read,  and  gave  him  a  neat  little  page  prettily 
printed  in  German,  with  a  red  border.  This  he 
read  very  nicely  and  was  glad  to  put  in  his  ragged 
pocket ;  but  he  could  scarcely  part  from  me,  and 
struggled  vainly  to  urge  his  tub  along  with  the 
shovel  till  we  came  to  a  run  of  dashing  waves, 
and  then  of  course  I  had  to  leave  him  behind, 
looking  and  yearning,  with  a  low,  murmuring 
sound,  and  a  sorrowful  earnest  gaze  I  shall  never 
forget. 

Shoals  of  large  and  small  fish  are  in  this  river, 
and  very  few  fishermen.  I  did  not  see  ten  men 
fishing  in  ten  days.  But  the  pretty  little  King- 
fisher does  not  neglect  his  proper  duties,  and 
ever  and  anon  his  round  blue  back  shines  in  the 
sun  as  he  hurries  away  with  a  note  of  protest 
against  the  stranger  who  has  invaded  his  pre- 
serves. Bees  are  buzzing  while  the  sun  is  hot, 
and  when  it  sinks,  out  gush  the  endless  mazes  of 
gnats  to  hop  and  flit  their  tangled  dances,  the 
creatures  of  a  day — ^born  since  the  morning,  and 
to  die  at  night. 

Before  the  Danube  parted  with  the  rocks  that 
had  been  on  each  side  for  days  together,  it  played 
some  strange  pranks  among  them,  and"  they 
with  it. 

Often  they  rose  at  each  side  a  hundred  feet 
without    a   bend,   and   then   behind   these  were 

f2 


68  ARCHED    CHASMS. 

broken  cliffs  heaved  this  way  and  that,  or  tossed 
upside  down,  or  as  bridges  high  over  chasms. 

Here  and  there  a  huge  splinted  tooth-like  spire 
of  stone  stuck  out  of  the  water,  leaning  at  an 
angle.  Sometimes  in  front  there  was  a  veritable 
upright  wall,  as  smooth  as  if  it  were  chiselled, 
and  entirely  cutting  off  the  middle  of  the  stream. 
In  advancing  steadily  to  such  a  place  it  was  really 
impossible  to  determine  on  which  side  the  stream 
could  by  any  means  find  an  exit,  and  once  indeed 
I  was  persuaded  that  it  must  descend  below.    . 

In  other  cases  the  river,  which  had  splayed  out 
its  width  to  that  of  the  Thames  at  Hungerford, 
would  suddenly  narrow  its  size  to  a  six-foot 
passage,  and  rush  down  that  with  a  "  whishhh !  " 
The  Rob  Roy  cheerily  sped  through  these,  but  I 
landed  to  scan  the  course  before  attempting  the 
most  difficult  cuts. — Oh  how  lonely  it  was  ! 

A  more  difficult  vagary  to  cope  with  was  when 
in  a  dozen  petty  streams  the  water  tumbled  over 
as  many  little  cascades,  and  only  one  was  passable 
— sometimes  not  one.  The  interest  of  finding 
these  channels,  examining,  trying,  failing,  and 
succeeding,  was  a  continuous  delight,  and  filled 
up  every  mile  with  exciting  incidents,  till  at 
length  the  rocks  were  done. 

And  now  we  enter  a  vast  plain,  with  the  stream 
bending  round  on  itself,  and  hurrying  swiftly 
on  through  innumerable  islands,  eddies,  and 
"  snags,"  or  trees  uprooted,  sticking  in  the  water. 
At  the  most  critical  part  of  this  labyrinth  we  were 
going  a  tremendous  pace,  when  suddenly  we  came 
to  the  fork  in  the  river.     One  of  the  two  channels 


HIDDEN    SONG.  69 

was  barred  by  a  tree  that  would  catcb  the  mast, 
so  I  instantly  turned  into  the  other,  when  up 
started  a  man  and  shouted  impetuously  that  no 
boat  could  pass  by  that  course.  It  was  a  moment 
of  danger,  but  I  lowered  the  sails  in  that  moment, 
took  down  my  mast,  and,  despite  stream  and  gale, 
I  managed  to  paddle  back  to  the  proper  channel. 
As  no  man  had  been  seen  for  hours  before,  the 
arrival  of  this  warning  note  was  opportune. 

A  new  amusement  was  invented  to-day — it  was 
to  pitch  out  my  empty  wine-bottle  and  to  watch 
its  curious  bobbings  and  whirlings  as  the  current 
carried  it  along,  while  I  floated  near  and  com- 
pared the  natural  course  taken  by  the  bottle  with 
the  selected  route  which  intelligence  gave  to  the 
Rob  Roy.  Soon  the  bottle  became  impersonated, 
and  we  were  racing  together,  and  then  a  sym- 
pathy began  for  its  well-known  cork  as  it  plumped 
down  when  its  bottom  struck  a  stone — for  the 
bottle  drew  more  water  than  my  canoe — and  every 
time  it  grounded  there  came  a  loud  and  melan- 
choly clink  of  the  glass,  and  down  it  went. 

The  thick  bushes  near  the  river  skirted  it  now 
for  miles,  and  at  once  place  I  could  see  above  me, 
through  the  upper  branches,  about  twenty  hay- 
makers, men  and  women,  who  were  honestly 
working  away,  and  therefore  had  not  observed 
my  approach. 

I  resolved  to  have  a  bit  of  fun  here,  and  therefore 
closed  in  to  the  bank,  but  still  so  as  to  see  the  in- 
dustrious group.  Then  suddenly  I  began  in  a 
very  loud  voice  with — 

"  Eule,  Britannia, 
Britannia  rules  the  waves." 


70  NAVVIES, 

Long  before  I  got  to  the  word  "  slaves  "  the 
whole  party  were  like  statues,  silent  and  fixed  in 
amazement.  Then  they  looked  right,  left,  before, 
behind,  and  upwards  in  all  directions,  except,  of 
course,  into  the  river,  for  why  should  they  look 
there  ?  nothing  had  ever  come  up  from  the  river 
to  disturb  their  quiet  mead.  I  next  whistled  a 
lively  air,  and  then  dashing  out  of  my  hiding- 
place  stood  up  in  my  boat,  and  made  a  brief  (but, 
we  trust,  brilliant)  speech  to  them  in  the  best 
English  I  could  muster,  and  in  a  moment  after- 
wards we  had  vanished  from  their  sight. 

A  little  further  on  there  was  some  road-making 
in  progress,  and  I  pulled  up  my  boat  under  a 
tree  and  walked  up  to  the  "  barraque,"  or  work- 
man's canteen,  and  entered  among  thirty  or  forty 
German  navvies,  who  were  sitting  at  their  mid- 
day beer.  I  ordered  a  glass  and  drank  their 
health  standing,  paid,  bowed,  and  departed,  but 
a  general  rush  ensued  to  see  where  on  earth  this 
flannel-clad  being  had  come  from,  and  they  stood 
on  the  bank  in  a  row  as  I  waded,  shoved,  hauled, 
paddled,  and  carried  my  boat  through  a  trouble- 
some labyrinth  of  channels  and  embankments, 
with  which  their  engineering  had  begun  to  spoil 
the  river. 

But  the  bridges  one  had  now  more  frequently 
to  meet  were  far  worse  encroachments  of  civiliza- 
tion, for  most  of  them  were  so  low  that  my  mast 
would  not  pass  under  without  heeling  the  boat 
over  on  one  side,  so  as  to  make  the  mast  lean  down 
obliquely.  In  one  case  of  this  kind  she  was  very 
nearly  shipwrecked,  for  the  wind  was  so  good  that 
I  would  not  lower  the  sail,  and  this  and  a  swift 


DIFFERENT   DANGERS.  71 

current  took  us  (me  and  my  boat — site  is  now, 
you  see,  installed  as  a  "person  ")  rapidly  to  tlie 
centre  arch,  wlien  just  as  we  entered  I  noticed  a 
fierce-looking  snag  with  a  sharp  point  exactly  in 
my  course.  To  swerve  to  the  side  would  be  to  strike 
the  wooden  pier,  but  even  this  would  be  better 
(for  I  might  ward  off  the  \iolence  of  a  blow  near 
my  hands)  than  to  run  on  the  snag,  which  would 
be  certain  to  cut  a  hole. 

With  a  heavy  thump  on  the  pier  the  canoe 
began  to  capsize,  and  only  by  the  nearest  escape 
was  she  saved  from  foundering.  What  I  thought 
was  a  snag  turned  out  to  be  the  point  of  an  iron 
stake  or  railing,  carelessly  thrown  into  the  water 
from  the  bridge  above. 

It  may  be  here  remarked  that  many  hidden 
dangers  occur  near  bridges,  for  there  are  wooden 
or  iron  bars  fixed  under  water,  or  rough  sharp 
stones  lying  about,  which,  being  left  there  when 
the  bridge  was  building,  are  never  removed  from 
a  river  not  navigable  or  used  by  boats. 

Another  kind  of  obstruction  is  the  thin  wire 
rope  suspended  across  the  rivers,  where  a  ferry  is 
established  by  running  a  flat  boat  over  the  stream 
with  cords  attached  to  the  wire  rope.  The  rope 
is  black  in  colour,  and  therefore  is  not  noticed  till 
you  approach  it  too  near  to  lower  the  mast,  but 
this  sort  of  danger  is  easily  avoided  by  the  some- 
what sharp  "  look-out  ^'  which  a  week  or  two  on 
the  water  makes  quite  instinctive  and  habitual. 
Perhaps  one  of  the  many  advantages  of  a  river 
tour  is  the  increased  acuteness  of  observation  which 
it  requires  and  fosters. 

I  stopped  next  at  a  clumsy  sort  of  town  called 


72  A   GALE. 

Biedlingen,  where  an  Englislimaii  is  a  very  rare 
visitor.  The  excitement  here  about  the  boat 
became  almost  ridiculous,  and  one  German,  who 
had  been  in  America  and  could  jabber  a  little  in 
English,  was  deputed  to  ask  questions,  while  the 
rest  heard  the  answers  interpreted. 

!N^ext  morning  at  eight  o'clock  at  least  a  thou- 
sand people  gathered  on  the  bridge  and  its  ap- 
proaches to  see  the  boat  start,  and  shoals  of 
schoolboys  ran  in,  each  with  his  Kttle  knapsack 
of  books.* 

The  scenery  after  this  became  of  only  ordinary 
interest  compared  with  what  I  had  passed  through, 
but  there  would  have  been  little  spare  time  to  look 
at  it  had  it  been  ever  so  picturesque,  for  the  wind 
was  quite  a  gale,t  and  right  in  my  favour,  and 
the  stream  was  fast  and  tortuous  with  banks, 
eddies,  and  innumerable  islands  and  cross  channels, 
so  that  the  navigation  occupied  all  one's  energy, 
especially  as  it  was  a  point  of  honour  not  to  haul 
down  the  sail  in  a  fair  wind. 

Midday  came,  and  yet  I  could  find  no  place  to 
breakfast,  though  the  excitement  and  exertion  of 
thus  sailing  was  really  hard  work.     But  still  we 


*  Knapsack,  from  *'sclinap,"  ''sach,"  provision  bag, 
for  "  bits  and  bats,"  as  we  should  say  ;  havresack  is  from 
"  hafer,"  "  forage  bag."  Query, — Does  this  youthful  car- 
riage of  the  knapsack  adapt  boys  for  military  service, 
or  does  it  account  for  the  high  shoulders  of  many 
Germans  ? 

t  In  the  newspaper  accounts  of  the  weather  it  was 
stated  that  at  this  time  a  storm  swept  over  Central 
Europe. 


HUNGRY   NAP.  73 

hurried  on,  for  dark  clouds  were  gathering  behind, 
and  thunder  and  rain  seemed  very  near. 

"Ah,"  said  I  inwardly,  "had  I  only  listened 
to  that  worthy  dame's  entreaties  this  morning 
to  take  good  provision  for  the  day !  "  She  had 
smiled  like  the  best  of  mothers,  and  timidly  asked 
to  be  allowed  to  touch  my  watch-chain,  "it  was 
so  sckon/'  so  beautiful  to  see.  But,  oddly  enough, 
we  had  taken  no  solid  food  on  board  to-day,  being 
so  impatient  to  get  off  when  the  wind  was  strong 
and  fair.  The  rapid  pace  then  brought  us  to 
Ehingen,  the  village  I  had  marked  on  the  map  for 
this  night's  rest.  But  now  we  came  there  it  was 
found  to  be  too  soon — I  could  not  stop  for  the  day 
with  such  a  splendid  breeze  inviting  progress ; 
nor  would  it  do  to  leave  the  boat  on  the  bank  and 
go  to  the  village  to  eat,  for  it  was  too  far  from 
the  river,  and  so  the  current  and  sails  must  hurry 
us  on  as  before. 

Now  and  then  I  asked  some  gazing  agriculturist 
on  the  bank  where  the  nearest  houses  were,  but 
he  never  could  understand  that  I  meant  nearest, 
and  also  close  to  the  river ;  so  the  end  of  every 
discussion  was  that  he  said,  "  Ja  wohl,"  which 
means  in  Yankee  tongue,  "  That's  so " ;  in 
Scottish,  "Hoot,  aye";  in  Irish,  "Troth,  an'  it 
is " ;  and  in  French,  "  C^est  vrai  "  ;  but  then 
none  of  this  helps  one  a  bit. 

I  therefore  got  first  ravenous  and  then  faint, 
and  after  mounting  the  bank  to  see  the  turns  of 
the  river  in  advance,  I  actually  fell  asleep  under 
a  tree.  The  wind  had  quite  subsided  when  I 
awoke,  and  then  quaffed  deep  draughts  of  water 
and  paddled  on. 


74  CHASING    A    CHURCH. 

The  banks  were  now  of  yellow  mud,  and  about 
eigbt  or  ten  feet  high,  quite  straight  up  from  the 
water,  just  like  those  on  the  Mle,  and  several 
affluent  streams  ran  from  the  plain  to  join  the 
river.  Often,  indeed,  I  saw  a  church  tower  right 
ahead,  and  laboured  along  to  get  there,  but  after 
half  a  mile  the  stream  would  turn  sharp  round  to 
one  side,  and  still  more  and  more  round,  and  at 
last  the  tower  once  in  front  was  directly  behind 
us.  The  explanation  of  this  tormenting  peculi- 
arity was  simply  this, — that  the  villages  were 
carefully  built  mvap  from  the  river  bank  because 
it  is  a  bad  foundation,  and  is  washed  away  as  new 
channels  are  formed  by  the  flood. 

When  the  light  began  to  fail  I  took  a  good 
look  at  the  map,  and  serpentine  bends  were  marked 
on  it  plain  enough  indeed,  but  only  in  one-half 
of  their  actual  number ;  and,  moreover,  I  saw  that 
in  the  forest  we  had  now  entered  there  would  be  no 
suitable  villages  at  all.  The  overhanging  trees 
made  a  short  twilight  soon  deepen  into  night ; 
and  to  add  to  the  interest  the  snags  suddenly 
became  numerous,  and  some  of  them  waved 
about  in  the  current,  as  they  do  on  the  Upper 
Mississippi,  when  the  tenacious  mud  holds  down 
the  roots  merely  by  its  weight.  All  this  made  it 
necessary  to  paddle  slowly  and  with  great  caution, 
and  to  cross  always  to  the  slack  side  of  the  stream 
instead  of  by  one's  usual  course,  which,  in  descend- 
ing, is  to  keep  with  the  rapid  current. 

Sometimes  I  had  to  back  out  of  shallows  which 
were  invisible  in  the  dark,  and  often  I  stopped  a 
long  time  before  a  glance  of  some  ripple  obscurely 
told  me  the  probable  course.     The  necessity  for 


SNAGS    IN   DARKNESS.  75 

this  caution  will  be  evident  when  it  is  remembered 
that  in  case  of  an  upset  here  both  sets  of  clothes 
would  have  been  wet  together,  and  without  any 
house  at  hand  to  dry  them. 

All  at  once  I  heard  a  bell  toll  quite  near  me  in 
the  thick  wood,  and  I  came  to  the  bank,  but  it 
was  impossible  to  get  ashore  on  it,  so  I  passed 
that  place  too,  and  finally  made  up  my  mind  to 
sleep  in  the  boat,  and  soon  had  all  sorts  of  plans 
in  course  of  devising. 

Just  then  two  drops  of  rain  came  on  my  nose, 
and  I  resolved  at  once  to  stop,  for  if  my  clothes 
got  wet  before  I  was  snugly  in  bed  in  the  canoe 
there  would  be  little  comfort  all  night,  without 
anything  solid  to  eat  since  morning,  and  all  my 
cigars  already  puffed  away.  As  I  now  cautiously 
searched  for  some  root  projecting  from  the  bank 
to  make  fast  to,  a  light  appeared  straight  in  front, 
and  I  dashed  forward  with  the  boat  to  reach  it, 
and  speedily  ran  her  into  a  strange  sort  of  lake  or 
pond,  where  the  stream  ceased,  and  a  noise  on  the 
boat's  side  told  of  weeds,  which  proved  to  be  large 
round  leaves  on  the  surface,  like  those  of 
the  Yictoria  Regia.  I  drew  up  the  boat  on 
shore,  and  mounted  the  high  bank  through  a 
thicket,  carrying  my  long  paddle  as  a  protection 
against  the  large  dogs  which  farmhouses  sport 
here,  and  which  might  be  troublesome  to  quarrel 
with  in  the  dark.  The  house  we  came  to  on  the 
top  of  the  precipice  had  its  window  lighted  and 
several  people  were  talking  inside,  so  I  knocked 
loudly,  and  all  was  silence.  Then  I  knocked 
again,  and  whined  out  that  I  was  a  poor  benighted 
"  Englander,"  and  hoped  they  would  let  me  in, 


76 


THE   VAGRAKT. 


at  wMcli  melanclioly  tale  they 
burst  out  laughing,  and  so  did 
I !  After  an  argument  be- 
tween us,  which  was  equally 
intelligible  on  both  sides,  a 
fat  farmer  cautiously  took  the 
light  upstairs,  and,  opening  a 
window,  thrust  the  candle  for- 
ward, and  gazed  out  upon  me 
standing  erect  as  a  true  Briton, 


and  with  my  paddle,  too,  but 
in  reality  a  humiliated  va- 
grant, begging  for  a  night's 
lodging. 

After  due  scrutiny  he 
pulled  in  his  head  and  his 
candle,  shut  the  window,  and 
fell  to  laughing  immode- 
rately. At  this  I  was  glad, 
for  one  seldom  finds  it  diffi- 
cult to  get  on  with  a  man 
who  begins  in  good  humour. 

Presently  the  others  went 
up,  and  I  stood  their  gaze 


CLASSICS.  77 

unflinchingly,  and,  besides,  made  an  eloquent  ap- 
peal in  the  vernacular — mine,  not  theirs,  be  it 
clearly  understood.  Finally,  they  were  satisfied 
that  I  was  alone,  and,  though  probably  mad,  yet  not 
quite  a  match  for  all  of  them,  so  they  came  down 
gallantly  ;  but  then  there  was  the  difiiculty  of 
persuading  the  man  to  grope  down  to  the  river  on 
this  dark  night  that  he  might  carry  up  a  boat. 

With  some  exertion  we  got  it  up  by  a  better 
way,  and  safely  locked  it  in  the  cowhouse  of 
another  establishment,  and  there  I  was  made 
thoroughly  comfortable.  They  said  they  had 
nothing  to  eat  but  kirchwasser,  bread,  and  eggs, 
and  how  many  eggs  would  I  like?  So  I  said, 
"  To  begin  with,  ten,"  and  I  ate  them  every  one. 
By  this  time  the  priest  had  come  ;  they  often  used 
to  send  for  the  Prester  to  do  the  talk.  The  large 
room  soon  got  full,  and  the  sketch-book  was 
passed  round,  and  an  India-rubber  band  made 
endless  merriment  for  the  smaller  fry,  all  in  the 
old  routine,  the  very  mention  of  which  it  may  be 
tedious  to  hear  of  so  often,  as  indeed  it  was  to  me 
to  perform. 

But  then  in  each  case  it  was  their  first  time  of 
going  through  the  performance,  and  they  were  so 
kind  and  courteous  one  could  not  refuse  to  please 
such  people.  The  priest  was  very  communicative, 
and  we  tried  to  converse  in  Latin,  for  my  German 
was  not  good  enough  for  him  nor  his  French  for 
me.  But  we  soon  agreed  that  it  was  a  long  time 
since  our  schoolboy  Latin  days,  though  I  recollect 
having  had  long  conversations  in  Latin  with  a 
monk  at  l^azareth,  but  there  we  had  ten  days 
together,  and  so  had  time  to  practise. 


78  HOTEL    BILLS. 

Thus  ended  the  1st  of  September,  the  only 
occasion  on  which  I  had  to  rough  it  at  all  dur- 
ing the  voyage ;  and  even  then  it  may  be  seen  that 
the  very  small  discomforts  were  all  results  of 
gross  want  of  prudence  on  my  own  part,  and 
they  ended  in  nothing  worse  than  a  hard  day's 
work  with  its  breakfast  and  dinner  merged  into  a 
late  supper.  My  bill  here  was  3s.  6d.f  and  the  day 
before  4^.  6c?.,. including  always  wine  and  luxuries. 


CHAPTER  YI. 


Day-dream — Ulm — River  Iller — Bismarck's  Besom — Fred- 
rickshafen — Lake  Constance—  Idiots — A  Wiseacre — 
OnRhineagain — Goose  winged — Sign  speech— Gasthaus 
— With  an  Arab — Water  bewitched— The  Emperor — 
How  to  Moor— Grand  Duchy  again — By  the  Moon — 
The  Idlers. 


The  threatening  rain  bad  not  come  during  the 
night,  and  it  was  a  lovely  morning  next  day,  like 
all  the  rest  before  and  after  it ;  and  as  we  were 
leaving  this  place  I  found  it  was  called  Gegglin- 
gen,"*^  and  was  only  nine  miles  from  Ulm. 

The  lofty  tower  of  the  Cathedral  of  this  town 
soon  came  in  view,  but  I  noticed  it  without  any 
pleasure,  for  this  was  to  end  my  week  on  the 
Danube;  and  in  my  ship's  log  it  was  truly 
entered  as  "  a  most  pleasant  week  for  scenery, 
weather,  exercise,  and  adventure." 

In  a  pensive  mood,  therefore,  I  landed  at  a 
garden,  and  reclined  on  a  warm  mossy  bank 
to  have  a  rest  and  a  day-dream,  but  very  soon 
the  loud  booming  of  artillery  aroused  the  hill 
echoes,  and  then  sharp  rattling  of  infantry  firing. 

*  It  will  be  noticed  how  the  termination  ^^  ingen"  is 
common  here.  Thus  in  our  water  route  we  have  passed 
Donaueschingen,  Geisingen,  Mehringen,  Tuttlingen, 
Friedingen,  Sigmaringen,  Riedlingen,  Ehingen,  Dischingen, 
and  Gegglingen,  the  least  and  last.  In  England  we  have 
the  "ing"  in  Dorking,  Kettering,  &c. 


80  ULM. 

The  heights  around  were  crested  with  fringes 
of  blue-coated  soldiers  and  glistening  bayonets, 
amid  the  soft,  round,  cotton-like  volumes  of  smoke 
from  the  great  guns  spurting  out  their  flashes  of 
fire  long  before  the  sound  comes.  It  was  a  review 
of  troops  that  was  going  on,  and  a  sham  attack  on 
a  fort  surmounting  the  hill,  near  the  well-known 
battle-field  of  long  years  ago  at  Ulm.  If  they 
fought  in  heat  and  fury,  let  them  now  rest  in  peace ! 

Come  back,  my  thoughts,  to  the  river  at  my 
feet. 

I  had  been  with  this  river  from  its  infancy, 
nay,  even  from  its  birth  in  the  Schwartzwald.  I 
had  followed  it  right  and  left,  as  it  seemed  to 
toddle  in  zigzag  turnings  like  a  child ;  and  I  had 
wound  with  it  hither  and  thither  as  it  roamed 
away  further  like  free  boyhood.  Then  it  grew  in 
size  by  feeding  on  the  oozy  plain,  and  was  still 
my  companion  when  it  got  the  strength  of  youth, 
dashing  over  the  rocks,  and  bounding  through  the 
forests ;  and  I  had  come  at  last  to  feel  its  powerful 
stream  stronger  than  my  strength,  and  compelling 
my  respect.  And  now,  at  Ulm,  I  found  it  a  noble 
river,  steady  and  swift,  as  if  in  the  flower  of  age ; 
but  its  romance  was  gone.  It  had  boats  on  it, 
and  navigation,  and  bridges,  and  railways,  like 
other  great  waters ;  and  so  I  would  let  it  go  on 
alone,  tumbling,  rushing,  swelling,  till  its  broad 
bosom  bears  whole  fleets  at  Ofen,  and  at  length 
as  a  great  water  giant  it  leaps  down  headlong  into 
the  Black  Sea. 

Having  seen  Ulm  in  a  former  tour,  I  was  in  no 
mood  to  "  go  over"  the  sights  again,  nor  need 
they  be  related  here,  for  it  is  only  river  travel 


RIVER    ILLER.  81 

and  lake  sailing  that  we  are  concerned  with. ; 
while  reference  may  be  made  to  the  Guide-books 
if  you  wish  to  hear  this  sort  of  thing : 

"  Ulm,  lat.  97°,  an  old  Cathedral  (a)  town,  on 
two  (§)  hills  (see  Appx.).  Pop.  '9763 ;  situated 
ft  on  the  Danube." 

At  that  I  stop,  and  look  into  the  water  again. 

The  river  is  discoloured  here — what  is  called 
in  Scotland  "drumly;"  and  this  seems  partly 
owing  to  the  tributary  Iller^  which  rises  in  the 
Tyrol,  and  falls  into  the  Danube,  a  little  way 
above  the  town.  The  Iller  has  a  peculiar  air  of 
wild,  forlorn  bleakness,  with  its  wide  channel 
half  occupied  by  cold  white  gravel,  and  its  banks 
scored  and  torn,  with  weird,  broken  roots,  gnarled 
trees,  barkless  and  fallen,  all  lying  dishevelled; 
surely  in  flood  times,  and  of  dark  wintry  nights,  a 
very  deluge  boils  and  seethes  along  there. 

Then,  at  last,  there  are  the  barges  on  the 
Danube,  and  very  rudimental  they  are ;  huge  in 
size,  with  flat  bottoms,  and  bows  and  stems 
cocked  up,  and  a  roofed  house  in  the  middle  of 
their  sprawling  length.  The  German  boys  must 
have  these  models  before  them  when  they  make 
the  Noah's  Arks  for  English  nurseries ;  and 
Murray  well  says  of  these  barges,  they  are 
^*  nothing  better  than  wooden  sheds  floating  in 
flat  trays." 

In  1839  a  steamer  was  tried  here,  but  it  got  on 
a  bank,  and  the  effort  was  abandoned;  so  you 
have  to  go  on  to  Donauwerth  before  this  mode  of 
travelling  is  reached,  but  from  thence  you  can 
steam  down  to  the  Black  Sea,  and  the  passage  boats 
below  Yienna  are  very  fast  and  well  appointed. 

G 


82  Bismarck's  besom. 

Rafts  there  are  at  Ulm,  but  we  suppose  tlie 
timber  for  them  comes  by  the  Iller,  for  I  did  not 
notice  any  logs  descending  the  upper  part  of  the 
Danube.  Again,  there  are  the  public  washhouses 
in  the  river,  each  of  them  a  large  floating  esta- 
blishment with  overhanging  eaves,  under  which 
you  can  see,  say  fifty  women  all  in  a  row,  half 
kneeling  or  leaning  over  the  low  bulwarks,  and 
all  slapping  your  best  shirts  mercilessly. 

I  made  straight  over  to  these  ladies,  and  asked 
how  the  Rob  Roy  could  get  up  so  steep  a  bank, 
and  how  far  it  was  to  the  railway ;  and  so  their 
senior  matron  kindly  got  a  man  and  a  hand-cart 
for  the  boat,  and,  as  the  company  of  women 
heard  it  was  from  England,  they  all  talked 
louder  and  more  together,  and  pounded  and 
smacked  the  unfortunate  linen  with  additional 
emphasis. 

The  bustle  at  the  railway-station  was  only  half 
about  the  canoe  ;  the  other  half  was  for  the  King 
of  Wurtemburg,  who  was  getting  into  his  special 
train  to  go  to  his  palace  at  Fredrickshafen.  Be- 
hold me,  then,  fresh  from  Gegglingen  and  snags, 
in  the  immediate  presence  of  Royalty !  But  this 
King  was  not  at  all  kingly,  though  decidedly  stiff. 
He  was  rather  amusing,  however,  sometimes ;  as 
when  he  ordered  sentries  to  salute  even  empty 
Royal  carriages.  Bismarck's  besom  has  swept  him 
right  away. 

I  got  a  newspaper  here,  and  had  twelve  days  to 
overtake  of  the  world's  doings  while  we  had  roamed 
in  hill,  forest,  and  waves.  Yet  I  had  been  always 
asked  there  to  "  give  the  news,"  and  chiefly  on 
two  points, — the  Great  Eastern,  with  its  electric 


FREDRICKSHAFEN.  83 

cable,  and  the  catastrophe  on  the  Matterhorn 
glacier,  the  two  being  at  times  vaguely  associated, 
as  if  the  breaking  of  the  cable  in  the  one  had 
something  to  do  with  the  loss  of  mountaineers  in 
the  other.  So,  while  I  read,  the  train  bore  us 
southwards  to  Fredrickshafen,  the  canoe  being 
charged  as  baggage  three  shillings,  and  patiently 
submitting  to  have  a  label  pasted  on  her  pretty 
brown  face. 

This  lively  port,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Lake 
of  Constance,  has  a  charming  view  in  front  of  it 
well  worth  stopping  to  enjoy.  It  is  not  fair  to 
treat  it  as  only  a  half-hour's  town,  to  be  seen 
while  you  are  waiting  for  the  lake  steamer  to  take 
you  across  to  Switzerland.  But  now  I  come  to  it 
for  a  Sunday's  rest  (if  you  wish  to  travel  fast  and 
far,  rest  every  Sunday),  and,  as  the  hotel  faced 
the  station,  and  the  lake  faced  the  hotel,  this  is 
the  very  place  to  stop  in  with  a  canoe. 

So  we  took  the  boat  upstairs  into  a  loft,  where 
the  washerwomen  not  only  gave  room  for  the 
well  worked  timbers  of  the  Hob  Roy  to  be  safe 
and  still,  but  kindly  mended  my  sails,  and  sundry 
other  odds  and  ends  of  a  wardrobe  somewhat  dis- 
organized by  rough  times. 

JN^ext  day  there  was  service  in  the  Protestant 
church,  a  fine  building,  well  filled,  and  duly 
guarded  by  a  beadle  in  bright  array.  The  service 
began  by  a  woman  singing  "  Comfort  ye  "  from 
Handel,  in  exquisite  taste  and  simple  style,  with  a 
voice  that  made  one  forget  that  this  solemn  melody 
is  usually  sung  by  a  man.  Then  a  large  number 
of  school  children  were  ranged  in  the  chancel, 
round  a  crucifix,  and  sang  a  very  beautiful  hymn, 

g2 


84  LAKE    CONSTANCE. 

and  next  the  whole  congregation  joined  in  chant- 
ing the  psalms  in  unison,  with  tasteful  feeling 
and  devoutness.  A  young  German  preacher  gave 
us  an  eloquent  sermon,  and  then  the  people  were 
dismissed. 

The  afternoon  was  drummed  away  by  two  noisy 
bands,  evidently  rivals,  and  each  determined  to 
excel  the  other  in  loudness,  while  both  combined 
to  persecute  the  poor  visitors  who  do  wish  for 
quietness,  at  any  rate  once  a  week.  I  could 
scarcely  escape  from  this  din  in  a  long  walk 
by  the  lake,  and  on  coming  back  found  a  man 
bathing  by  moonlight,  while  rockets,  squibs,  and 
Catherine  wheels  were  let  off  in  his  boat.  Better 
indeed  was  it  for  me  to  look  with  entranced  eyes 
on  the  far  off  snowy  range,  now  lit  up  by  the  full 
harvest  moon,  and  on  the  sheen  of  "  each  parti- 
cular star,"  bright  above,  and  bright  again  below, 
in  the  mirror  of  the  lake. 

The  Lake  of  Constance  is  forty-four  miles  long, 
and  about  nine  miles  wide.  I  could  not  see  a 
ripple  there  when  the  Rob  E-oy  was  launched  at 
early  morn,  with  my  mind,  and  body,  and  soul 
refreshed,  and  an  eager  longing  to  begin  the  tour 
of  Switzerland  once  more,  but  now  in  so  new  a 
fashion.  Soon  we  were  far  from  the  shore,  and 
in  that  middle  distance  of  the  lake  where  all 
shores  seem  equally  near,  and  where  "  the  other 
side"  appears  never  to  get  any  nearer  as  you 
go  on.  Here,  in  the  middle,  I  rested  for  a  while, 
and  the  sensation  then  was  certainly  new.  Beauty 
was  everywhere  around,  and  there  was  full 
freedom  to  see  it.  There  was  no  cut-and-dry 
route  to  be  followed,  no  road,  no  track  on  the 


IDIOTS.  85 

water,  no  hours,  no  time-table  to  constrain.  I 
could  go  right  or  left  by  a  stroke  of  the  paddle, 
and  I  was  utterly  my  own  master  of  whither  to 
steer,  and  where  to  stop. 

The  ^^ pit-a-pat^'  of  a  steamer's  wheels  was  the 
only  sound,  and  that  was  very  distant,  and  when 
the  boat  came  near,  the  passengers  cheered  the 
canoe,  and  smiles  of  (was  it  not?)  envy  told  of 
how  pleasant  and  pretty  she  looked.  After  a  little 
wavering  in  my  plans,  I  settled  it  was  best  to  go 
to  the  Swiss  side,  and,  after  coasting  by  the  tillages, 
I  selected  a  little  inn  in  a  retired  bay,  and  moored 
my  boat,  and  ordered  breakfast.  Here  was  an  old 
man  of  eighty-six,  landlord  and  waiter  in  one,  a 
venerable  man,  and  we  respect  age  more  while 
growing  older. 

He  talked  with  me  for  five  hours  while  I  ate, 
read,  and  sketched,  and  feasted  my  eyes  on  moun- 
tain views,  and  answered  vaguely  to  his  remarks, 
said  in  a  sleepy  way,  and  in  a  hot,  quiet,  basking 
sun.  There  are  peaceful  and  almost  dreamy 
hours  of  rest  in  this  water  tour,  and  they 
are  sweet  too  after  hard  toil.  It  is  not  all  rapids 
and  struggles  when  you  journey  with  a  canoe. 

Close  to  the  inn  was  the  idiot  asylum,  an  old 
castle  with  poor  demented  women  in  it.  The  little 
flag  of  my  boat  attracted  their  attention,  and  all 
the  inmates  were  allowed  to  come  out  and  see  it, 
with  many  smiles  of  pleasure,  and  many  odd  re- 
marks and  gestures.  Disentangling  myself  from 
this  strange  group,  I  landed  again,  and,  under  a 
splendid  tree,  spent  an  hour  or  two  in  carpenter's 
work  (for  we  had  a  few  tools  on  board),  to  repair 
the  boat's  damages  and  to  brighten  her  up  a  bit 


86  A   WISEACRE. 

for  the  English,  eyes  we  must  expect  in  the  next 
part  of  the  voyage. 

Not  a  wave  had  energy  to  rise  on  the  lake  in 
the  hot  sun.  A  sheep-bell  tinkled  now  and  then, 
but  in  a  tired,  listless,  and  irregular  way.  A 
gossamer  spider  had  spun  his  web  from  my  mast 
to  the  tree  above,  and  wagtails  hopped  near  me 
on  the  stones,  and  turned  an  inquiring  little  eye 
to  the  boat  lying  half  in  the  water,  and  its  master 
at  rest  on  the  grass. 

It  was  an  easy  paddle  from  this  to  the  town  of 
Constance,  at  the  end  of  the  lake.  Here  a  douanier 
made  a  descent  upon  me  and  was  inexorable. 
"  You  must  have  the  boat  examined."  "  Very 
well,  pray  examine  it."  His  chief  was  absent,  and 
I  must  put  the  canoe  in  the  Custom-house  till  to- 
morrow morning.  An  hour  was  wasted  in  palaver 
about  this,  and  at  first  I  protested  vigorously 
against  such  absurdity  in  "free  Switzerland." 
But  Constance  is  not  in  Switzerland,  it  is  in  the 
Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  and  so  to  keep  it  "  grand" 
they  must  do  very  little  things,  and  at  any 
rate  can  trouble  travellers.  At  length  an 
obliging  native,  ashamed  of  the  proceeding, 
remonstrated  with  the  douanier,  and  persuaded 
him  at  least  to  search  the  boat  and  let  it 
pass. 

He  took  as  much  time  to  inspect  as  if  she  were 
a  brig  of  300  tons,  and,  when  he  came  to  look  at 
the  stern,  I  gravely  pointed  to  a  round  hole  cut  in 
the  partition  for  this  very  purpose  !  Into  this 
hole  he  peered,  while  the  crowd  was  hushed  in 
silence,  and  as  he  saw  nothing  but  darkness,  ex- 
tremely dark  (for  nothing  else   was   there),   he 


ON    RHIXE    AGAIN.  87 

solemnly  pronounced  tlie  canoe  "  free,"  and  she 
was  duly  borne  to  the  hotel.     , 

But  Constance  once  had  a  man  in  it  who  was 
really  "  grand/'  John  Huss,  the  noble  martyr  for 
the  truth.  In  the  Council  Hall  you  see  the 
veritable  cell  in  which  he  was  imprisoned  some 
hundreds  of  years  ago,  and  on  a  former  visit  I  had 
seen  from  the  tower,  through  a  telescope,  the 
field  where  the  faggots  burned  him,  and  from 
whence  his  great  soul  leaped  up  to  heaven  out  of 
the  blazing  pile. 

"  Avenge,  O  Lord,  thy  slaughtered  saints,  whose  bones 
Lie  scattered  on  the  Alpine  mountains  cold  ; 
E'en  them  who  kept  thy  truth  so  pure  of  old 
When  all  our  fathers  worshipped  stocks  and  stones." 

— Milton. 

Does  not  a  thought  or  two  on  such  great  things 
make  other  common  things  look  small  ? 

But  we  may  not  stop  now  to  ponder,  for  the 
current  is  moving  on,  so  let  us  launch  the  E-ob  Hoy 
again  upon  our  old  friend,  the  Rhine. 

It  was  a  change  to  cross  a  quiet  lake  after  being 
hurried  on  a  rapid  stream  like  the  Danube,  and 
now  it  is  another  change  to  paddle  from  the  lake 
into  a  wide  river  like  the  Rhine,  which  speeds  fast 
and  steady  among  lively  scenes.  The  water  is 
deep,  and  of  a  faint  blue,  but  clear  enough  to  show 
what  is  below.  The  pebbly  bottom  seems  to  roll 
up  towards  us  from  underneath,  and  village 
churches  appear  to  spin  quietly  round  on  the  banks, 
for  the  land  and  its  things  seem  to  move,  not  the 
water,  so  glassy  its  surface  steadily  flowing. 

Here  are  the  fishers  again,  slowly  paying  out 


88  GOOSEWINGED. 

their  fine-spun  nets,  and  there  is  a  target-hut  built 
on  four  piles  in  the  river.  The  target  itself  is  a 
great  cube  of  wood,  six  feet  on  each  side.  It  is 
fired  at  from  another  hut  perched  also  on  posts  in 
the  water,  and  a  marker  safely  placed  behind  the 
great  block  of  wood  turns  it  round  on  a  vertical 
pivot,  and  so  patches  up  the  bullet-hole,  and  signals 
its  position. 

The  Rhine  suddenly  narrows  soon  after  leaving 
the  Boden  See,  or  Lake  Constance  as  we  call  it, 
but  the  banks  again  open  out  until  it  is  a  mile  or 
two  in  breadth.  Here  and  there  are  grassy  islands, 
and  you  may  notice,  by  long  stakes  stuck  on  the 
shallows,  which  tremble  as  the  water  presses  them, 
that  the  channel  for  steamers  is  very  roundabout, 
though  the  canoe  will  skim  over  any  part  of  it 
comfortably.  Behind  each  islet  of  tall  reeds 
there  is  a  fishing-boat  held  fast  by  two  poles  stuck 
in  the  bottom  of  the  river ;  or  it  is  noiselessly 
sculled  by  the  boatman,  moving  to  a  more  lucky 
pool,  with  his  oar  at  only  one  side — rather  a  novel 
plan — while  he  pays  out  the  net  with  his  other 
hand.  E;udely-made  barges  are  afloat,  and  seem 
to  turn  round  helplessly  in  the  current  of  the 
deeper  parts,  or  hoist  their  great  square  sails  in 
the  dead  calm — perhaps  for  the  appearance  of  the 
thing — a  very  picturesque  appearance,  as  the  sail 
has  two  broad  bands  of  dark  blue  cloth  for  its 
centre  stripes.  But  the  pointed  lateen  sail  of 
Geneva  is  certainly  a  more  graceful  rig  than  the 
lug,  especially  when  there  are  two  masts,  and  the 
white  sails  swell  towards  you,  goosewinged  before 
a  flowing  breeze. 
.     The  river  has  probably  a  very  uneven  bottom 


SIGN    SPEECH.  89 

in  this  part,  for  the  water  sometimes  rushes 
round  in  great  whirlpools,  and  strange  overturn- 
ings  of  itself,  as  if  it  were  boiling  from  below  in 
exuberant  volume  with  a  gushing  upwards ;  and 
then  again  it  wheels  about  in  a  circle  with  a  sweep 
far  around,  before  it  settles  to  go  onward.* 

On  the  borders  of  Switzerland  the  German  and 
French  tongues  are  both  generally  known  at  the 
hotels,  and  by  the  people  accustomed  to  do  busi- 
ness with  foreigners  travelling  among  them. 

But  in  your  course  along  a  river  these  con- 
venient waiters  and  polyglot  commissionaires  are 
not  found  in  attendance  at  every  village,  and  it  is, 
therefore,  to  the  bystanders  or  casual  loungers  you 
have  to  speak. 

Frequent  intercourse  with  natives  of  strange 
countries,  where  there  is  no  common  language 
between  them  and  the  tourist,  mil  gradually  teach 
him  a  "  sign  language ''  which  suits  all  j)eople 
alike.  By  this  means,  no  matter  what  was  the 
dialect  of  the  place,  it  was  always  easy  to  induce 
one  or  two  men  to  aid  in  carrying  the  canoe,  and 
the  formula  for  this  was  something  in  the  follow- 
ing style. 

I  first  got  the  boat  on  shore,  and  a  crowd  of 

*  These  maelstroms  seem  at  first  to  demand  extra  caution 
as  you  approach,  but  they  are  harmless  enough,  for  the 
water  is  deep,  and  it  only  twists  the  boat  round  ;  and  you 
need  not  mind  this  except  when  the  sail  is  up,  but  have,  a 
care  then  that  you  are  not  taken  aback.  In  crossing  one 
of  these  whirlpools  at  full  speed  it  will  be  found  needless 
to  try  to  counteract  the  sudden  action  on  your  bow  by 
paddling  against  it,  for  it  is  better  to  hold  on  as  if  there 
were  no  interference,  and  presently  the  action  in  the 
reverse  direction  puts  all  quite  right. 


90 


GASTHAUS. 


rf>^ 


"Langsam." 

course  soon  collected,  wMle  I  arranged  its  interior, 
and  sponged  out  the  splashed  water,  and  fastened 
the  apron  down.  Then,  tightening  my  belt  for  a 
walk,  I  looked  round  with  a  smile,  and  selecting 
a  likely  man,  would  address  him  in  English 
deliberately  as  follows — suiting  each  action  to  the 
word,  for  sign  language  is  made  more  natural 
when  you  speak  your  own  tongue  all  the  time  you 
are  acting : — "  Well  now,  I  think  as  you  have 
looked  on  enough  and  have  seen  all  you  want,  it's 
about  time  to  go  to  an  hotel,  a  Gasthaus.  Here! 
you — yes,  you! — ^just  take  that  end  of  the  boat  up, 
so, — gently,  '  langsam  I '  ^  langsam  ! ' — all  right, 
yes,  under  your  arm,  like  this ;  now  march  off  to 
the  best  hotel,  Gasthaus.'^ 


WITH  AN  ARAB.  91 

Then  the  procession  naturally  formed  itself. 
The  most  humorous  boys  of  course  took  prece- 
dence, because  of  services  or  mischief  willing  to 
be  performed ;  and,  meanwhile,  they  gratuitously 
danced  about  and  under  the  canoe  like  Fauns 
around  Silenus.  "Women  stared  and  waited 
modestly  till  the  throng  had  passed.  The  seniors 
of  the  place  kept  on  the  safer  confines  of  the 
movement,  where  dignity  of  gait  might  comport 
with  close  observation. 

In  a  case  of  sign  talking  like  the  foregoing  you 
can  be  helped  by  one  substantive  and  one  adverb  ; 
and  if  you  pronounce  these  clearly,  and  use  them 
correctly,  while  all  the  other  expressions  are 
evidently  your  language  and  not  theirs,  they  will 
understand  it  much  better  than  if  you  try  signs 
in  dumb  show  or  say  the  whole  in  bad  Grerman, 
which  would  surely  give  rise  to  all  possible  mis- 
takes of  your  meaning. 

But  it  is  quite  another  matter  when  you  have 
forgotten — or  have  never  acquired — the  foreign 
word  for  the  noun  you  wish  to  name,  though,  even 
then,  by  well  chosen  signs,  and  among  an  intelli- 
gent people,  a  good  deal  can  be  conveyed,  as  may 
be  shown  in  the  following  cases. 

Once  I  was  riding  along  the  Algerian  coast,  on 
the  way  from  Carthage,  and  my  guide,  a  dense 
Kabyle,  was  evidently  taking  me  past  a  place  I 
wished  to  ^dsit,  and  which  had  been  duly  entered 
in  the  list  when  he  was  engaged. 

I  could  not  make  him  understand  this,  for  my 
limited  Arabic  had  been  acquired  under  a  different 
pronunciation  in  Syria ;  but  one  night,  it  happened 
that  a  clever  chief  had  lodged  me  in  a  kind  of 


92  WATER    BEWITCHED. 

booth,  just  like  the  top  of  a  gipsy  cart.  I  explained 
xo  him  by  signs  (and  talking  English)  that  the 
muleteer  was  taking  me  past  the  place  it  was 
desired  to  see.  Then  I  tried  to  pronounce  the 
name  of  that  place,  but  it  was  always  wrong,  or 
he  could  not  make  it  out.  Maskutayn  was  the 
place  intended,  or  "  bewitched  waters,"  a  wonder- 
ful volcanic  valley,  full  of  boiling  streams  and 
little  volcanoes  of  salt. 

At  length,  sitting  in  the  moonlight,  signs  were 
tried  even  for  this  difficult  occasion.  I  put  my 
chibouque  (pipe)  under  the  sand  and  took  water 
in  my  hand,  and  as  he  looked  on  intently — for 
the  Arabs  love  this  speaking  action — I  put  water 
on  the  fire  in  the  pipe-bowl,  and  blew  it  up 
through  the  sand,  talking  English  all  the  time. 
This  was  done  again,  and  suddenly  the  black 
lustrous  eyes  of  the  Ishmaelite  glistened  brighter. 
He  slapped  his  forehead.  He  jumped  up.  You 
could  almost  be  sure  he  said  "I  know  it  now ;  " 
and  then  he  roused  the  unfortunate  muleteer  from 
his  snorings  to  lecture  him  soundly,  and  so  we 
were  directed  next  day  straight  to  the  very  place 
I  wanted. 

In  a  few  cases  of  this  international  talking  it 
becomes  necessary  to  sketch  pictures,  which  are 
even  better  than  signs,  but  not  among  Arabs. 
During  a  visit  to  the  fair  of  Mjni  Novgorod,  in 
the  middle  of  Russia,  I  passed  many  hours  in  the 
'^  Chinese  street  "  there,  and  found  it  was  very 
difficult  to  communicate  with  Ching  Loo,  and 
even  signs  were  useless.  But  they  had  some  red 
wax  about  the  tea-chests,  and  there  was  a  white 
wall  beside  us,  so  upon  this  I  put  the  whole  story 


THE    EMPEROR.  93 

in  large  pictures,  with  an  explanatory  lecture  in 
English  all  the  time,  which  proceeding  attracted 
an  audience  of  several  scores  of  Chinamen  and 
Kalmuks  and  other  outlandish  people,  and  the 
particular  group  I  meant  to  enlighten  seemed 
perfectly  to  understand  all  that  was  intended. 

So  if  you  can  work  your  paddle  well,  and  learn 
the  general  sign  language,  and  a  little  of  the 
pencil  tongue,  you  can  go  very  far  in  a  canoe 
without  being  starved  or  homeless ;  wandering 
delighted  over  a  very  wide  field  for  the  study  of 
character. 

To  come  back,  however,  from  the  Yolga  to  the 
Rhine. 

The  current  flows  more  gently  as  we  enter  the 
Zeller  See,  or  Unter  See,  a  lake  which  would  be 
called  pretty  if  our  taste  has  not  been  sated  for  a 
while  by  the  snowy  range  background  to  the  "views 
on  Constance.  But  the  Lake  of  Constance  sadly 
'Wants  islands,  while  here  in  the  Zeller  See  are 
several,  one  of  them  rather  large.  The  Emperor 
of  the  French  had  passed  two  days  at  his  chateau 
on  this  lake,  just  before  we  arrived,  and  of  course 
he  would  have  waited  a  week  had  he  known  that 
the  Rob  Roy  was  coming.* 

*  That  his  Majesty  did  not  forget  the  canoe,  will  be 
seen  from  the  following,  which  appeared  in  the  "  Globe" 
of  April  20  (the  Emperor's  birthday)  : — 

I' By  an  edict,  dated  April  6,  1866,  issued  this  morning,  the 
Ministre  d'Etat  institutes  a  special  committee  for  the  organization 
of  a  special  exhibition,  at  the  Exposition  Universelle  of  1867,  of 
all  objects  connected  with  the  arts  and  industry  attached  to 
pleasure  boats  and  river  navigation.  This  measure  is  thought 
to  display  the  importance  which  amateur  navigation  has  assumed 
during  the  last  few  years— to   display  the  honour  in  which  is 


94  HOW   TO    MOOR. 

However,  as  we  were  too  late  to  breakfast  with 
his  Majesty,  I  pulled  in  at  the  village  of  Steck- 
born,  where  an  inn  is  built  on  the  actual  edge  of 
the  water,  a  state  of  things  most  convenient  for 
the  aquatic  tourist,  and  which  you  find  pretty 
often  along  this  part  of  the  Khine.  In  a  case  of 
this  sort  you  can  tap  at  the  door  with  your  paddle, 
and  order  a  repast  before  you  debark,  so  that  it  is 
boiling  and  fizzing,  and  the  table  is  all  ready, 
while  you  put  things  to  rights  on  board,  and  then 
tie  the  boat  to  the  window  balcony,  or,  at  any  rate, 
so  that  it  can  be  seen  all  the  time  while  you 
breakfast  or  dine,  and  rest,  and  read,  and  draw. 

Experience  has  proved  to  me  that  very  few 
boys,  even  of  the  most  mischievous  species,  will 
meddle  with  a  boat  which  is  floating,  but  that  very 
few  men,  even  of  the  most  amiable  order,  will 
refrain  from  pulling  it  about  when  the  little  craft 
is  left  on  shore. 

To  have  your  boat  not  only  moored  afloat  but 
in  your  sight  too, — that  is  perfection,  and  it  is 


held  this  sport  nouveau,  as  it  is  denominated  in  the  report,  and  to 
be  successful  in  abolishing  the  old  and  absurd  prejudices  which 
have  so  long  prevented  its  development  in  France.  The  Emperor, 
whose  fancy  for  imitating  everything  EnglisH  leads  him  to 
patronise  with  alacrity  all  imitation  of  English  sports^  in  par- 
ticular, is  said  to  have  suggested  the  present  exhibition  after 
reading  MacGregor's  '  Cruise  of  the  Rob  Roy,'  which  developes 
many  new  ideas  of  the  purposes  besides  mere  pleasure  to  which 
pleasure  boats  may  be  applied,  and  would  be  glad  to  encourage 
a  taste  for  the  explojration  of  solitary  streams  and  lonely  currents 
amongst  the  youth  of  France." 

The  Baltic  Eob  Eoy  canoe  was  at  this  Exhibition  in  Paris, 
and  the  Emperor  having  seen  her  performance  on  the 
Seine,  forthwith  bought  a  sister  ship  from  Searle  and  gave 
it  to  the  Prince  Imperial,  who  became  a  member  of  the 
Canoe  Club  and  called  his  canoe  the  Rhone. 


GRAND    DUCHY    AGAIN.  95 

worth  any  additional  trouble  to  arrange  this, 
because  then  for  all  the  hours  of  the  midday  stop- 
page, you  will  be  wholly  at  ease,  instead  of  being 
anxious  about  your  absent  boat,  as  if  it  were 
a  valuable  horse  in  a  strange  stable. 

The  landlord  was  much  interested  in  my  sketch- 
book, so  he  brought  a  friend  who  could  speak 
French,  and  who  had  himself  constructed  a  boat 
of  two  tin  tubes,  on  which  a  stage  is  supported, 
with  a  seat  and  rowlocks,  the  oddest  looking  thing 
in  nautical  existence.  I  persuaded  him  to  put 
this  institution  into  the  water,  and  we  started  for 
a  cruise ;  the  double-tube  metal  boat,  with  its 
spider-like  gear  aloft,  and  the  oak  canoe,  so  low 
and  rakish,  with  its  varnished  cedar  deck,  and 
quivering  flag,  now  racing  side  by  side,  each  of 
them  a  rare  sight,  but  the  two  together  quite  un- 
precedented.^ 

The  river  here  is  like  parts  of  the  Clyde  and 
the  Kyles  of  Bute,  with  French  villages  let  in, 
and  an  Italian  sky  overhead.  We  crossed  to  a 
village  where  a  number  of  Jews  live,  for  I  wished 
to  visit  their  Synagogue  ;  but,  lo  !  this  was  the 
Grrand  Duchy  of  Baden  again,  and  a  heavily- 
armed  sentry,  ever  watching  for  insidious  foes, 
found  us  invading  the  dominion,  so  he  deployed 
and  formed  square  to  force  us  to  land  somewhere 
else.  The  man  was  civil,  but  his  orders  were  un- 
reasonable, so  we  merely  embarked  again  and 
went  over  to  Switzerland,  and  ran  our  little  fleet 
into  a  bramble  bush,  to  hide  it  while  we  mounted 

*  Double  boats  with  paddle-wheels,  worked  by  pedals, 
are  now  common  in  England.  A  double  canoe  sails  well 
if  the  inner  sides  of  the  two  hulls  are  parallel  upright  planes. 


96  BY   THE    MOON. 

to  an  auberge  on  tlie  hill  for  a  sixpenny  bottle  of 
wine. 

The  pretty  Swiss  lass  in  charge  said  she  once 
knew  an  Englishman — ^but  "it  was  a  pity  they  were 
all  so  proud."  He  had  sent  her  a  letter  in  Eng- 
lish, which  I  asked  her  to  let  me  read  for  her.  It 
began,  "  My  dear  little  girl,  I  love  you ;"  and 
this  did  not  sound  so  very  proud  for  a  beginning. 
My  boating  friend  promised  to  make  her  a  tin 
cafetiere,  and  so  it  was  evident  that  he  was  the 
tinman  of  the  village,  and  a  most  agreeable  tinman 
too. 

She  came  to  see  us  on  board,  and  her  father 
arrived  just  in  time  to  witness  a  triangular  parting, 
which  must  have  puzzled  him  a  good  deal,  AmeHa 
waving  farewell  to  a  "  proud  ^'  Englishman  and 
a  nautical  whitesmith,  who  both  took  leave  also 
of  each  other,  the  last  sailing  away  with  huge 
square  yards  and  coloured  canvas,  and  the  E-ob 
Roy  drifting  with  the  stream  in  the  opposite 
direction. 

Every  day  for  weeks  past  had  been  as  a  picnic 
to  me,  but  I  prolonged  this  day  into  night,  the  air 
was  so  balmy  and  the  red  sun  setting  was  so  soon 
replaced  by  the  white  moon  rising,  and  besides, 
the  na^dgation  here  had  no  dangers,  and  there 
were  villages  every  few  miles.  "Wlien  I  had 
enough  of  it,  cruising  here  and  there  by  moon- 
light, we  drew  up  to  the  town  of  Stein,  but  all 
was  now  lonely  by  the  water-side.  This  is  to  be 
expected  when  you  arrive  late ;  however,  a  slap 
or  two  on  the  water  with  the  paddle,  and  a  loud 
verse  of  a  song,  Italian,  Dutch,  a  pibroch,  any 
noise  in  fact,  soon  draws  the  idlers  to  you,  and  it 


THE    IDLERS.  97 

is  precisely  tlie  idlers  you  want.  One  of  them 
readily  helped  me  with  the  boat  to  an  inn,  where 
an  excellent  landlady  greeted  the  strange  guest. 
From  this  moment  all  was  bustle  there,  and  it 
was  very  much  increased  by  a  German  visitor,  who 
insisted  on  talking  to  me  in  English,  which  I  am 
sure  I  did  not  understand  a  bit  better  than  the 
Germans  who  came  to  listen  and  look  on. 


H 


CHAPTER  VIT. 

Fog  Picture — Boy  Soldiers — Schaffhausen  Falls— Eating — 
Bachelor's  Fare — Lake  of  Zurich — Like  a  Dog — Crino- 
line— Spectators — Lake  of  Zug — Swiss  Eiflemen— Mist 
Curtains  —  Sailing  —  Fishing  Britons  —  Flogging  the 
Water — Odd  Britons — Talk-books — A  Suggestion. 

In  tlie  morning  there  was  a  most  curious  change 
of  air  ;  a  dense  white  fog  was  all  around.  Truly 
it  was  now  to  be  "  sensation  rowing ;"  so  we 
hastened  to  get  off  into  this  milky  atmosphere.  I 
have  an  idea  that  we  passed  under  a  bridge ;  at 
least  the  usual  cheers  sounded  this  time  as  if  they 
were  above  me,  but  the  mist  was  as  thick  as  our 
best  November  Cheshire-cheese  fogs,  and  quite 
as  interesting.  On  several  occasions  I  positively 
could  not  see  the  bow  of  my  boat,  only  a  few 
feet  from  my  nose.  The  whole  arrangement  was 
so  unexpected  and  entirely  novel, — paddling  on  a 
fast  in^dsible  stream — that  I  had  the  liveliest 
emotions  of  pleasure  without  seeing  anything 
at  all. 

But  then  fancy  had  free  play  all  the  time,  and 
the  pictures  it  drew  were  vivid  and  full  of  colour, 
and,  after  all,  our  impressions  of  external  objects 
are  only  pictures,  so  say  the  philosophers ;  and 
why  not  then  enjoy  a  tour  in  a  fog,  with  a  good 
album  of  pictures  making  the  while  in  the  brain  ? 


FOG   PICTURE.  99 

Sounds  too  there  were,  but  like  those  of  witches 
and  fairies — though  perhaps  it  was  only  the 
cackling  of  some  antique  washerwomen  on  the 
banks.  However,  I  addressed  the  unseen  com- 
pany in  both  prose  and  poetry,  and  was  full  of 
emphasis,  which  now  and  again  was  increased  by 
my  boat  running  straight  into  the  shore.  The 
clearing  away  of  the  fog  was  one  of  the  most 
interesting  evolutions  of  nature  to  be  seen.  In 
one  sort  or  other  every  traveller  has  enjoyed  the 
quick  or  gradual  tearing  up  of  a  fog  curtain  on 
mountain  or  moor,  but  here  it  was  on  a  beauteous 
river. 

I  wish  to  describe  this  process,  but  I  cannot. 
It  was  a  series  of  "  Turner  pictures,"  with  glimj)ses 
right  and  left,  and  far  overhead,  of  trees,  sk}^, 
castles,  each  lightened  and  shown  for  a  moment, 
and  then  gauzed  over  again  and  complecelj?-  hidden; 
while  the  mind  had  to  imagine  all  the  context 
of  the  scenery,  and  it  was  sure  to  be  quite  wrong 
when  another  gleam  of  sun  disclosed  what  was 
there  in  reality.  For  it  cleared  away  at  last,  and 
Father  Sol  avenged  himself  by  an  extra  hot  ray, 
for  thus  interfering  with  his  beams. 

The  Rhine  banks  here  were  sloped  steeply; 
pleasant  meadows,  ^dneyards,  and  woods  were 
mingled  with  tolerable  fairness  to  all  three. 
But  almost  any  scenery  seemed  to  be  good  when 
the  genial  exercise  of  the  canoe  was  the  medium 
for  enjoying  it.  Soon  afterwards  the  woods 
thickened,  the  mountains  rose  behind  them,  the 
current  got  faster  and  faster,  the  houses,  at  first 
dotted  on  the  knolls,  were  closer  and  more  suburb 
like,  and  then  a  grand  sweep  of  the  stream  opened 

H  2 


100  BOY    SOLDIERS. 

up  Schaffhausen  to  tlie  eye,  while  a  sullen  sound 
on  the  water  warned  us  of  "  rapids  ahead."  Some 
caution  was  needed  in  steering  here,  but  there  is 
no  very  great  difficulty,  for  steamboats  navigate 
thus  far,  and  of  course  it  is  easy  for  a  canoe.  But 
when  I  glided  down  to  the  bridge  there  was  the 
"Groldenen  Schiff"  hotel.  So  one  was  bound  to 
patronise  it,  because  of  its  name,  and  because  there 
was  a  gigantic  picture  of  a  Briton  on  the  adjoin- 
ing wall.  He  was  in  full  highland  costume,  though 
the  peculiar  tartan  of  his  kilt  showed  that  there  is 
still  one  clan  we  have  not  yet  recognised. 

Here  began  a  novel  kind  of  astonishment  among 
the  people  :  for  when  they  asked,  "  Where  have 
you  come  from?"  and  were  told,  from  England, 
they  could  not  understand  how  this  could  be,  my 
course  seemed  as  if  we  came  from  Grermany. 

The  short  morning's  work  being  soon  over, 
there  was  all  the  day  for  wandering  about.  Drums 
and  a  band  presently  led  me  to  a  corps  of  little 
hojs  in  full  uniform,  about  200  of  them,  with  real 
guns  and  with  boy  officers,  most  martial  to  behold, 
albeit  they  were  munching  apples  between  the 
words  of  command,  and  pulling  wry  faces  at  the 
urchins  of  eight  years  old,  who  strove  in  vain  to 
take  very  long  steps  with  very  short  legs. 

They  had  some  skirmishing  drill,  and  used 
small  goats'  horns  to  give  the  orders  instead 
of  bugles.  These  horns  are  used  on  the  railways 
too,  and  the  note  is  very  clear,  and  may  be  heard 
quite  well  a  long  way  off.  Much  might  be 
done  in  our  drill  at  home  by  something  of  this 
sort. 

It  is  a  short  three  miles  to  the  Belle  Yue,  built 


SCHAFFHAUSEN    FALLS.  101 

above  the  falls  of  Sdiaffhausen,  and  in  full  view 
of  that  noble  scene.  These  great  falls  of  the 
Rhine  looked  much  finer  than  I  had  recollected 
them  some  years  before ;  it  is  pleasant,  but 
unusual,  for  one's  second  visit  to  such  sights 
to  be  more  striking  than  the  first.  At  night  the 
river  was  splendidly  illuminated  by  Bengal  lights, 
and  the  eifect  of  this  on  the  tossing  foam  and 
rich  full  body  of  ever  pouring  water,  made  thus 
a  torrent  of  fire,  was  a  spectacle  of  magical  beauty 
and  grandeur,  well  seen  from  the  balcony  of  the 
hotel,  by  many  travellers  from  various  lands.  On 
one  side  of  me  was  a  Russian,  and  a  Brazilian  on 
the  other. 

JN^ext  day,  at  the  railway- station,  I  put  the 
sharp  bow  of  the  Rob  Roy  in  at  the  window  of 
the  "baggages"  office,  and  asked  for  the  "boat's 
ticket."  The  clerk  did  not  seem  at  all  surprised, 
for  he  knew  I  was  an  Englishman,  and  they 
know  well  enough  that  nothing  is  too  odd,  queer, 
mad  in  short,  for  Englishmen  to  do.  But  the 
porters,  guards,  and  engine-drivers  made  a  good 
deal  of  talk  before  the  canoe  was  safely  stowed 
among  the  trunks  in  the  van ;  and,  I  now  and 
then  visited  her  there,  just  for  company's  sake, 
and  to  see  that  the  sharp-cornered,  iron-bound 
boxes  of  the  American  tourists  had  not  made 
holes  in  her  oaken  skin.  One  could  not  but  survey 
too,  with  some  anxiety,  the  lumbering  casks  on 
the  platform,  waiting  to  be  rolled  in  beside  the 
canoe ;  and  the  fish  baskets,  iron  bars,  crates,  and 
clumsy  gear  of  all  sorts,  which  at  every  stoppage 
is  tumbled  in  or  roughly  shovelled  out  of  the 
luggage- van. 


102  EATING. 

This  care  and  sympathy  for  a  mere  boat  may 
be  called  enthusiasm  by  those  who  have  not  felt 
the  like  towards  inanimate  objects  linked  to  our 
pleasures  or  pains  by  hourly  ties  of  interest ;  bat 
others  will  understand  how  a  friendship  for  the 
boat  was  felt  more  in  such  a  cruise ;  her  strong 
points  were  better  known  as  they  were  more  tried, 
but  the  weak  points,  too,  of  the  frail  traveller 
became  now  more  apparent,  and  the  eager  desire 
to  bring  her  to  England  unharmed  was  increased 
every  day  when  we  had  made  the  homeward 
turn. 

The  mere  cost  of  the  railway  ticket  for  the 
boat's  carriage  to  Zurich  was  two  or  three  shillings, 
— not  so  much  as  the  expense  of  taking  it  between 
the  stations  and  the  hotels.  Submitting,  then,  to 
be  borne  again  on  wheels  and  through  tunnels  in 
the  good  old  railway  style,  we  soon  arrive  among 
the  regular  Swiss  mountains,  and  where  gather 
the  Swiss  tourists,  for  whom  arise  the  Swiss 
hotels,  those  huge  establishments  founded  and 
managed  so  as  best  to  fatten  on  the  wandering 
Enghshman,  and  to  give  him  homoeopathic  feed- 
ing while  his  purse  is  bled. 

For  suffer  me  again  to  have  a  little  gossip 
about  eating.  Yes,  it  is  a  mundane  subject,  and 
undoubtedly  physical ;  but  when  the  traveller  has 
to  move  his  body  and  baggage  along  a  route  by 
his  own  muscles,  by  climbing  or  by  rowing,  or 
by  whipping  a  mule,  it  is  a  matter  of  high 
moment,  to  him  at  least,  that  fibrine  should  be 
easily  procurable. 

If  you  wish,  then,  to  live  well  in  Switzerland 
and  Germany  go  to  German  hotels,  and  avoid  the 


bachelor's  fare.  103 

grand  barracks  reared  on  every  view-point  for 
the  English  tourists.  See  how  the  omnibus,  from 
the  train  or  the  steamer,  pours  down  its  victims 
into  the  landlords'  arms.  Papa  and  Mamma^  and 
three  daughters  and  a  maid  :  well,  of  course  they 
will  be  attended  to.  Here  is  another  timid  lady 
with  an  alpenstock,  a  long  white  pole  people  get 
when  they  arrive  in  Switzerland,  and  which  they 
don't  know  what  on  earth  to  do  with.  Next  there 
will  issue  from  the  same  vehicle  a  dozen  new- 
fledged  Londoners  ;  and  the  whole  party,  men 
and  women,  are  so  demure,  so  afraid  of  themselves, 
that  the  hotel-keeper  does  just  what  he  likes  with 
them,  every  one. 

Without  a  courier,  a  wife,  heavy  baggage,  or 
young  ladies,  I  enter  too,  and  dare  to  order  a 
cutlet  and  potatoes.  After  half  an  hour  two 
chops  come  and  spinach,  each  just  one  bite,  and 
cold.  I  ask  for  fruit,  and  some  pears  are  presented 
that  grate  on  the  knife,  with  a  minute  bunch  of 
grapes,  good  ones  let  us  acknowledge.  For  this 
we  pay  2s. 

Next  day,  for  a  contrast,  I  paddle  three  miles 
down  the  lake,  and  order,  just  as  before,  a  cutlet, 
potatoes,  and  fruit,  but  this  time  at  a  second-rate 
German  inn.  Presently  behold  two  luscious  veal 
cutlets,  with  splendid  potatoes,  and  famous  hot 
plates;  and  a  fruit-basket  teeming  gracefully  with 
large  clusters  of  magnificent  grapes,  peaches, 
pears  all  gushing  with  juice,  and  mellow  apples, 
aud  rosy  plums.  For  this  I  pay  Is.  Qd.  The 
secret  is  that  the  Grermans  won't  pay  the  prices 
which  the  English  fear  to  grumble  at,  and  the 
Germans   won't   put   up   with    the   articles   the 


104  LAKE    OF    ZURICH. 

Englisli  fear  to  reject.  Nor  may  we  blame  the 
hotel-keepers  for  their  part  in  this  business.  They 
try  to  make  as  m.uch  money  as  they  can,  and 
most  people  who  are  making  money  try  to  do  the 
same. 

In  the  twilight  the  Bob  Roy  launched  on  the 
Lake  of  Zurich,  so  lovely  by  evening,  cool  and 
calm,  with  its  pretty  villages  painted  again  on  the 
reflecting  water  below,  and  soft  voices  singing,  and 
slow  music  floating  in  the  air,  as  the  moon  looked 
down,  and  the  crests  of  snow  were  silvered  on  far- 
oflP  hills.  The  canoe  was  now  put  up  in  a  boat- 
house  where  all  seemed  to  be  secure.  It  was  the 
only  time  I  had  found  a  boathouse  for  my  boat, 
and  the  only  time  when  she  was  badly  treated ; 
for,  next  morning,  though  the  man  in  charge  had 
appeared  to  be  a  soM,  honest  fellow,  I  saw  at 
once  that  the  canoe  had  been  sadly  tumbled  about 
and  filled  with  water,  the  seat  cast  off  and  flfOating 
outside,  the  covering  deranged,  the  sails  untied, 
and  the  sacred  paddle  defiled  by  clumsy  hands. 
The  man  who  suffered  this  to  be  perpetrated  will 
not  soon  forget  the  Anglo-German-French  set- 
down  he  received  (with  a  half-franc),  and  I  have 
never  forgotten  since  to  observe  the  time-honoured 
practice  of  carrying  the  canoe  invariably  into  the 
hotel.  Another  piece  of  experience  gained  here 
was  this,  that  to  send  your  luggage  on  by  a 
steamer,  intending  to  regain  it  at  the  end  on  your 
arrival,  adds  far  less  of  convenience  than  it  does 
of  anxiety  and  trouble,  seeing  that  in  a  canoe  tour 
you  can  readily  take  the  baggage  with  you  always 
and  everywhere  in  your  boat.  Freedom  is  the 
paddler's  joy. 


LIKE    A   DOG.  105 

Much,  of  the  charm  of  next  day's  paddle  on  the 
lake  consisted  in  its  perfect  independence  of  all 
previous  arrangements,  and  in  the  absence  of  such 
thraldom  as,  "  You  must  be  here  by  ten  o'clock;" 
or,  "You  have  to  sleep  there  at  night."  So  now, 
let  the  wind  blow  as  it  likes,  I  could  run  before  it, 
and  breakfast  at  this  village ;  or  cross  to  that 
point  to  bathe  ;  or  row  round  that  bay,  and  lunch 
on  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  or  anywhere  else  on 
the  shore,  or  in  the  boat  itself,  as  it  pleased  me. 
I  felt  as  a  dog  must  feel  on  his  travels  who  has 
no  luggage  and  no  collar,  and  has  only  one 
coat,  which  always  fits  him,  and  is  always  getting 
new. 

When  quite  sated  with  the  water,  I  fixed  on 
Horgen  to  stop  at  for  a  rest,  to  the  intense  delight 
of  all  the  Horgen  boys.  How  they  did  jump  and 
caper  about  the  canoe,  and  scream  with  the  glee 
of  young  hearts  stirred  by  a  new  sight !  It  was 
one  of  the  great  treats  of  this  voyage  to  find  it 
gave  such  hours  of  pleasure  to  the  juvenile  popu- 
lation in  each  place  ;  and  along  the  vista  of  my 
recollection,  as  I  think  over  the  past  days  of  the 
cruise,  many  thousand  childish  faces  brimming 
with  happiness  range  before  my  eye  their  chubby 
or  not  chubby  cheeks. 

These  young  friends  were  still  more  joyous  when 
the  boat  was  put  into  a  cart,  and  the  driver  got  up 
beside  it,  and  the  captain  of  the  canoe  began  his 
hot  walk  behind.  A  number  of  their  mammas 
came  out  to  smile  on  the  performance,  and  some 
asked  to  have  a  passage  to  England  in  the  boat, 
to  which  there  was  the  stock  reply,  given  day  by 
day,  "  !N^ot  much  room  for  the  crinoline."     Only 


106  CRINOLINE. 

once  was  given  this  rejoinder,  that  the  lady  would 
willingly  leave  her  expansion  at  home  ;  though  on 
another  occasion  (and  that  in  France  too)  they 
answered,  "  We  poor  folks  don't  wear  crinoline." 

In  every  group  there  were  various  forms  of 
inquisitiveness  about  the  canoe.  First,  those  who 
examined  it  without  putting  questions ;  and  then 
those  who  questioned  about  it  without  examining. 
Some  lifted  it  to  feel  the  weight ;  others  passed 
their  hands  along  its  smooth  deck  to  feel  the 
polished  cedar ;  others  looked  underneath  to  see 
if  there  was  a  keel,  or  bent  the  rope  to  feel  how 
flexible  it  was,  or  poised  the  paddle  (when  I  let 
them),  and  said,  ^^How  light!"  and  then  more 
critical  inquirers  measured  the  boat's  dimensions, 
tapped  its  sides  with  their  knuckles,  and  looked 
wise;  sketched  its  form,  scrutinized  its  copper  nails, 
or  gently  touched  the  silken  flag,  with  its  hem  now 
frayed  a  little,  and  its  colour  fading  ;  in  all  places 
this  last  item  (our  burgee),  as  an  object  of  interest, 
was  always  the  first  exclaimed  about  by  the  lady 
portion  of  the  crowd.  It  is  with  such  light  but 
pleasant  trivialities  that  a  traveller's  day  may  be 
filled  in  this  enchanting  atmosphere,  where  simply 
to  exist,  to  breathe,  to  gaze,  and  to  listen,  are 
enough  to  pass  the  sunny  hours,  if  not  to  engage 
the  nobler  powers  of  the  mind. 

The  Lakes  of  Zurich  and  Zug  are  not  far  sepa- 
rate. About  three  hours  of  steady  road  walking 
takes  you  from  one  to  the  other,  over  a  high  neck 
of  forest  land,  and  a  hot  walk  this  was  from 
twelve  to  three  o'clock  in  the  brightest  hours  of 
the  day.  The  heat  and  the  dust  made  me  eager 
again  to  be  afloat.     By  the  map,  indeed,  it  seemed 


SPECTATORS.  107 

as  if  one  could  row  part  of  tMs  way  on  a  river 
wHcli  runs  into  Zug,  but  maps  are  no  guidance  as 
to  tlie  fitness  of  streams  for  a  boat.  They  make  a 
black  line  wriggling  about  on  the  paper  do  for 
all  rivers  alike,  and  this  tells  you  nothing  as  to  the 
depth  or  force  of  the  current,  nor  can  the  drivers 
or  innkeepers  tell  you  much  more,  since  they  have 
no  particular  reason  for  observing  how  a  river 
comports  itself ;  their  business  is  on  the  road. 

The  driver  was  proud  of  his  unusual  fare,  a  boat 
with  an  English  flag,  and  he  gave  a  short  account 
of  it  to  every  friend  he  met,  an  account  no  doubt 
frightfully  exaggerated,  but  always  accepted  as 
sufficient  by  the  gratified  listener.  The  worthy 
carter,  however,  was  quite  annoyed  that  I  stopped 
him  outside  the  town  of  Zug  (paying  thirteen 
francs  for  the  cart),  for  I  wished  to  get  the  canoe 
into  the  water  unobserved,  as  the  morning's  work 
had  left  me  yet  no  rest,  and  sweet  repose  could 
best  be  had  by  floating  in  my  boat.  However, 
there  was  no  evading  the  townspeople's  desire  to 
see  "the  schiff  in  a  cart  from  England."  We 
took  her  behind  a  clump  of  stones,  but  they  climbed 
upon  the  stones  and  stood.  I  sat  down  in  a  moody 
silence,  but  they  sat  down  too  in  respectful  patience. 
I  tried  then  another  plan,  turned  the  canoe 
bottom  upward,  and  began  lining  a  seam  of  the 
planks  with  red  puttj^.  They  looked  on  till  it  was 
done,  and  I  began  the  same  seam  again,  and  told 
them  that  all  the  other  seams  must  be  thus  lined. 
This,  at  last,  was  too  much  for  some  of  the  wiser 
ones,  who  turned  away  and  murmured  at  my  slow- 
ness, but  others  at  once  took  their  places  in  the 
front  row.     It  seemed  unfriendly  to  go  on  thus 


108  LAKE    OF   ZUG. 

any  longer,  and  as  it  was  cooler  now,  I  pushed  the 
boat  into  the  lake,  shipped  my  luggage  on  board, 
and  after  the  usual  English  speech  to  them  from 
the  water,  bid  every  one  ''  adieu/'"^ 

'New  vigour  came  when  once  the  paddle  was 
grasped  again,  and  the  soft  yielding  water  and 
gentle  heaving  on  its  bosom  gave  fresh  pleasure 
now  after  the  dusty  road.  It  seems  as  if  one  must 
be  for  ever  spoiled  for  land  travel  by  this  smooth 
liquid  journeying. 

Zug  is  a  little  lake,  and  the  mountains  are  over 
it  only  at  one  end,  but  then  there  are  glorious  hills, 
the  Rigi  and  a  hundred  more,  each  behind  another, 
or  raising  a  peak  in  the  gaps  between.  I  must 
resolutely  abstain  from  describing  these  here. 
The  sight  of  them  is  well  known  to  the  traveller. 
The  painted  pictures  of  them  in  every  shop  win- 
dow are  faithful  enough  for  those  who  have  not 
been  nearer,  and  words  can  tell  very  little  to  others 
of  what  is  seen  and  felt  when  you  fill  the  delighted 
eye  by  looking  on  the  snowy  range. 

l^ear  one  end  of  the  lake  I  visited  the  line  of 
targets  where  the  Switzers  were  popping  away 
their  little  bullets  at  their  short  ranges,  with 
all  sorts  of  gimcrack  instruments  to  aid  them, 
lenses,  crooks,  and  straps  for  the  arms,  hair-trig- 
gers, and  everything  done  under  cover  too.  Very 
skilful  indeed  are  they  in  the  use  of  these  con- 
trivances ;  but  the  weapons  look  like  toy-guns 
after  all,  and  are  only  one  step  removed  from  the 
crossbows  you  see  in  Belgium  and  France,  where 

*  This  word,  like  other  expressive  French  words,  is 
commonly  used  in  Germany  and  Switzerland. 


SWISS    RIFLEMEN.  109 

men  meet  to  shoot  at  stuffed  cockrobins  fixed  on 
a  pole,  and  do  not  hit  them,  and  then  adjourn  for 
beer. 

The  Swiss  are  good  shots  and  brave  men,  and 
woe  be  to  their  invaders.  Still,  in  this  matter  of 
rifle  shooting  their  dilettanti  practice  through  a 
window,  at  the  short  range  of  200  yards,  seems 
really  childish  when  compared  with  that  of  the 
manly  groups  at  Wimbledon,  where,  on  the  open 
heath,  in  sun  or  drifting  hail,  the  burly  York- 
shireman  meets  with  the  hardy  Scot,  and  sends 
his  heavier  deadly  bullet  on  its  swift  errand  right 
away  for  a  thousand  yards  in  a  storm. 

Leaving  the  shooters  to  their  bulls'  eyes,  I 
paddled  in  front  of  the  town  to  scan  the  hotels, 
and  to  judge  of  the  best  by  appearances.  Out 
came  the  boats  of  Zug  to  examine  the  floating 
stranger.  They  went  round  and  round,  in  a 
criticising  mood,  just  as  local  dogs  strut  slowly 
in  circles  about  a  new-come  cur  who  is  not  known 
to  their  street,  and  besides  is  of  ambiguous  breed. 
These  boats  were  all  larger  than  mine,  and  most 
of  them  were  brighter  with  plenty  of  paint,  and 
universally  they  were  encumbered  with  most  awk- 
ward oars.  A  courteous  Frenchman  in  one  of  the 
boats  told  me  all  the  Zug  news  in  a  breath,  besides 
asking  numerous  questions,  and  giving  a  hasty 
commentary  on  the  fishing  in  the  lake.  Finally, 
he  pointed  out  the  best  hotel,  and  so  the  naval 
squadron  advanced  to  the  pier,  led  by  the  canoe. 
A  gracious  landlady  here  put  my  boat  safe  in  the 
hotel  coachhouse,  and  offered  to  give  me  the  key 
of  the  padlock,  to  make  sure.  In  the  salle  a 
manger  were  some  English  friends  from  London, 


110  MIST   CURTAINS. 

SO  now  I  felt  that  here  was  an  end  of  lone  wan- 
derings among  foreigners,  for  the  summer  stream 
of  tourists  from  England  was  encountered  at  this 
point. 

An  early  start  next  morning  found  the  mists 
on  the  mountains,  but  they  were  quickly  furled 
up  out  of  the  way  in  airy  festoons  like  muslin 
curtains.  We  skirted  the  pretty  villas  on  the  verge 
of  the  lake,  and  hauled  in  by  some  apple-trees  to 
rig  up  the  sails.  This  could  be  done  more  easily 
when  the  boat  was  drawn  ashore  than  when  it  was 
ajloat ;  though,  after  practice,  I  could  not  only 
set  the  mast  and  hoist  the  sails  "  at  sea,"  but 
could  even  stand  up  and  change  my  coat  or  tie 
the  flag  on  the  masthead,  or  survey  a  difficult 
channel,  while  the  boat  was  rocking  on  the  waves 
of  a  rapid."* 

Sailing  on  a  lake  in  Switzerland  is  a  full  reward 
for  carrying  your  mast  and  sails  unused  for  many 
a  long  mile.  Sometimes,  indeed,  the  sails  seemed 
to  be  after  all  an  encumbrance,  but  this  was  when 
they  were  not  available.  Every  time  they  came 
into  use  again  the  satisfaction  of  having  brought 
them  was  fully  reassured.  In  sailing  while  the 
wind  is  light  you  need  not  always  sit,  as  must  be 
done  for  paddling.  Wafted  by  the  breeze  you 
can  now  recline,  lie  down,  or  lie  up,  put  your  legs 
anyhow  and  anywhere,  in  the  water  if  you  like, 
and  the  peak  of  the  sail  is  a  shade  between  the 
sun  and  your   eyes,  while   the  ripples  seem  to 

*  This  standing  up  drill  is  so  very  useful  in  extending 
the  horizon  of  view,  and  in  enabling  you  to  examine  a 
whole  ledge  of  sunken  rocks  at  once,  that  it  is  well  worth 
the  trouble  of  a  week  or  two's  practice. 


SAILING, 


111 


"On  Lake  Zug." 

tinkle  cheerfully  against  the  bow,  and  the  wave- 
lets seethe  by  smoothly  near  the  stern.  When 
you  are  under  sail  the  hill  tops  look  higher  than 
before,  for  now  you  see  how  far  they  are  above 
your  "lofty"  masthead,  and  the  black  rocks  on 
the  shore  look  blacker  when  seen  in  contrast 
with  a  sail  like  cream.* 

*  The  sails  of  the  Jordan  Eob  Eoy  were  dyed  dark  blue 
— an  excellent  plan  for  alleviating  the  glare  of  an  African 
sun,  and  for  eluding  the  gaze  of  hostile  Arabs.     For  an 


112  FISHING    BRITONS. 

After  a  cruise  that  left  nothing  more  to  see  of 
Zug,  we  put  into  port  at  Imyn,  and  though  it  is  a 
little  place,  only  a  few  houses,  the  boys  there 
were  as  troublesome  as  gnats  buzzing  about  ;  so 
the  canoe  had  to  be  locked  in  the  stable  out  of  sight. 

Three  Britons  were  waiting  here  for  the  steamer. 
They  had  come  to  fish  in  Switzerland.  Now  fish- 
ing and  shooting  and  travelling  kill  each  other, 
so  far  as  my  experience  goes,  unless  one  of  them 
is  used  as  a  passetemps  because  you  cannot  go  on 
with  the  other.  Thus  I  recollect  once  at  the  town 
of  Yossevangen,  in  JN^orway,  when  we  had  to  wait 
some  hours  for  horses,  it  was  capital  fun  to  catch 
three  trout  with  a  pin  for  a  hook  fastened  on  the 
lash  of  a  gig-whip,  while  a  fellow-traveller  shot 
with  a  pistol  at  my  Glengarry  cap  on  a  stone. 

The  true  fisherman  fishes  for  the  fishing,  not 
for  the  fishes.  He  himself  is  pleased  even  if  he 
catches  nothing,  though  he  is  more  pleased  to 
bring  back  a  full  basket,  for  that  will  justify  him 
to  his  friends.  JSTow  when  you  stop  your  travel- 
ling that  you  may  angle,  if  you  catch  nothing  you 
grudge  the  day  spent,  and  keep  thinking  how 
much  you  might  have  seen  in  a  day  on  the  road. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  you  do  happen  to  catch 
a  fish,  you  don't  like  to  leave  the  place 
where  more  might  be  taken,  and  your  first  ten 
miles  after  departure  from  it  is  a  stage  of  reflec- 
tion about  pools,  stones,  bites,  and  rises,  instead  of 
what  is  going  on  all  around.  Worst  of  all,  if  you 
have  hooked  a  fish  and  lost  him,  it  is  a  sad  con- 
opposite  purpose,  when  it  was  desirable  to  be  discerned 
afar  off  by  my  dragoman,  I  wore  the  bright  red  jersey 
shown  on  the  cover  of  this  book. 


FLOGGING   THE    WATER.  113 

fession  of  defeat  tlien  to  give  up  the  sport  and 
moodily  resume  the  tour.^ 

As  for  the  three  visitors  at  Imyn,  they  had  just 
twenty  minutes  sure,  so  they  breakfasted  in  five 
minutes,  and  in  the  next  three  minutes  had  got 
their  rods  ready,  and  were  out  in  the  garden 
casting  as  fast  as  possible,  and  flogging  the  water 
as  if  the  fish  also  ought  to  be  in  a  hurry  to  get 
taken.  The  hot  sun  blazed  upon  the  bald  head 
of  one  of  these  excited  anglers,  for  he  had  not 
time  to  put  on  his  hat.  The  other  had  got  his 
line  entangled  in  a  bush,  and  of  course  was  hors 
de  combat.  The  third  was  a  sort  of  light  skir- 
misher, rushing  about  with  advice,  and  pointing 
out  shoals  of  minnows  everywhere  else  but  where 
his  companions  were  engaged.  However,  they 
managed  to  capture  a  few  monsters  of  the  deep, 
that  is  to  say,  a  couple  of  misguided  gudgeons, 
probably  dissipated  members  of  their  tribe,  and 
late  risers,  who  had  missed  their  proper  breakfasts. 
The  most  ardent  Isaak  Walton  of  us  all  could  not 
surely  enjoy  fishing  after  this  sort. 

To  be  in  this  tide  of  wandering  Britons,  and 
yet  to  look  at  them  and  listen  to  them  as  if  you 
were  distinct — this  is  a  post  full  of  interest  and 
amusement;  and  if  you  can,  even  for  one  day, 
try  to  be  (at  least  in  thought)  a  Swiss  resident  or 
a  Parisian,  and  so  to  regard  the  English  around 
you  from  the  point  they  are  seen  from  by  the 
foreigners  whom  they  visit,  the  examination  be- 

*  Fishing  from  a  canoe  is  however  very  pleasant  when 
the  current  bears  you  along,  as  is  told  in  the  log  of  her 
Swedish  tour.  In  the  present  summer  she  goes  to  fish 
among  the  Shetlands  and  Orkneys. 

I 


114  ODD    BRITONS. 

comes  far  more  curious.  But  tHs  lias  been  done 
by  many  clever  tourists,  who  bave  written  tbeir 
notes  with  more  or  less  humour,  and  with  severity 
rather  more  than  less ;  so  I  shall  not  attempt  to 
analyse  the  strange  atoms  of  the  flood  from  our 
islands  which  overflows  the  Continent  every 
year. 

It  is  the  fashion  to  decry  three- fourths  of  this 
motley  company  as  "snobs/'  "spendthrifts,"  or 
"  greenhorns."  With  humble  but  firm  voice  I 
protest  against  this  unfairness;  nor  can  I  help 
thinking  that  much  of  the  hard  criticism  published 
by  travellers  against  their  fellows  is  a  crooked 
way  of  saying — what  it  does  not  do  to  assert 
directly — that  the  writer  has  at  any  rate  met  some 
travellers  inferior  to  himself. 

Of  course,  among  the  Englishmen  whom  I  met 
now  and  then  in  the  course  of  this  voyage  there 
were  some  very  strange  specimens,  and  their 
remarks  were  odd  enough,  when  alluding  to  the 
canoe.  One  said,  for  example,  "  Don't  you  think 
it  would  have  been  more  commodious  to  have  had 
an  attendant  with  you  to  look  after  your  luggage 
and  things  ?"  The  most  obvious  answer  to  this 
was  probably  that  which  I  gave,  "  Not  for  me,  if 
he  was  to  be  in  the  boat ;  and  not  for  him,  if  he 
had  to  run  on  the  bank."  Another  Englishman 
(but  he  was  at  home)  asked  me  in  all  seriousness 
about  the  canoe  voyage,  "  Was  it  not  a  great  waste 
of  time?"  And  when  I  inquired  how  he  had 
spent  his  vacation,  he  said,  "  Oh,  I  was  all  the 
time  at  Brighton.^' 

In  returning  again  to  conversation  in  English, 
one  is  reminded  how  very  useless  and  unpractical 


TALK-BOOKS.  115 

are  all  the  "  Talk-books  ^'  publislied  to  facilitate 
tlie  traveller's  conversation  in  foreign  languages. 
Wbetlier  they  are  meant  to  help  you  in  French, 
German,  Italian,  or  Spanish,  these  little  books, 
with  their  well-known  double  columns  of  words 
and  phrases,  and  their  "Polite  Letter- writer  "  at 
the  end,  all  seem  to  be  equally  determined  to 
force  words  upon  you  which  you  never  will  need 
to  use  ;  while  the  things  you  are  always  wanting 
to  say  in  the  new  tongue  are  either  carefully  buried 
among  colloquies  on  botany  or  precious  stones,  or 
among  philosophical  discussions  about  metaphy- 
sics, or  else  the  desirable  phrases  are  not  in  the 
book  at  all. 

This  need  of  a  brief  and  good  "  Talk-book " 
struck  me  particularly  when  I  had  carefully 
marked  in  my  Gferman  one  all  the  pages  which 
would  never  be  required  in  the  tour,  so  that  I 
could  cut  them  out  as  an  unnecessary  addition  to 
the  weight  of  my  ship's  library.  Why,  the  little 
book,  when  thus  expurgated,  got  so  lamentably 
thin  that  the  few  pages  left  of  it,  as  just  possible 
to  be  useful,  formed  only  a  wretched  skeleton  of 
the  original  volume. 

Another  fault  of  these  books  is  that  half  the 
matter  in  them  is  made  up  of  what  the  imaginary 
chatting  foreigner  says  to  you,  the  unhappy 
Englishman,  and  this  often  in  long  phrases,  or 
even  in  set  speeches.  But  when,  in  actual  life, 
the  real  foreigner  does  speak  to  you,  he  somehow 
says  quite  a  different  set  of  words  from  any  par- 
ticular phrases  you  see  in  the  book,  and  you  can- 
not make  out  his  meaning,  because  it  does  not 
correspond  with  anything  you  have  learned. 

1  2 


116  A    SUGGESTI02^. 

It  is  evident  that  a  dictionary  is  required  to  get 
at  tlie  English  meaning  of  what  is  said  to  you 
by  another;  while  a  talk-book  will  suffice  for 
what  you  wish  to  say  to  him ;  because  you  can 
select  in  it  and  compose  from  it  before  you  utter 
any  particular  phrase.  The  Danish  phrase-book 
for  Norway  and  Sweden  is  a  tolerably  good  one, 
and  it  holds  in  a  short  compass  all  the  traveller 
wants  ;  but  I  think  a  book  of  this  kind  for  each 
of  the  other  principal  languages  might  well  be 
constructed  on  the  following  basis. 

First,  let  us  have  the  expression  "  I  want,"  and 
then  the  English  substantives  most  used  in  travel 
talk,  arranged  in  alphabetical  order,  and  with 
their  foreign  equivalents.  Next  put  the  request 
^^  Will  you,"  and  after  it  place  each  of  the  verbs 
of  action  generally  required  by  travellers.  Then 
set  forth  the  question,  "Does  the,"  with  a  column 
of  events  formed  by  a  noun,  verb,  and  preposition 
in  each,  such  as  "  coach  stop  at,"  "  road  lead  to," 
"  steamer  start  from,"  &c. ;  and,  lastly,  give  us 
the  comprehensive  "Is  it,"  with  an  alpha- 
betical list  of  adjectives  likely  to  be  employed. 
Under  these  four  heads,  with  two  pages  of  adverbs 
and  numerals,  I  think  that  the  primary  communi- 
cations with  a  foreigner  can  be  comprised  ;  and  as 
for  conversations  with  him  on  special  subjects,  such 
as  poKtics,  or  art,  or  scenery,  these  are  practically 
not  likely  to  be  attempted  unless  you  learn  his 
language,  and  not  merely  some  of  its  most  neces- 
sary icords  ;  but  this  study  of  language  is  not  the 
purpose  for  which  you  get  a  talk-book. 

Having   talked   our   homily    on   international 
talking,  it  is  time  to  be  on  the  move  again. 


CHAPTER  YIII. 

Lake  of  Lucerne — Seeburg  Hotel — Bon^-fide  Bite — The 
Eapid  Eeuss— Fair  Friends — Is  it  right  ?— Caught 
by  a  Eope— Barriers — The  Hard  Place — Din— Head- 
long— The  Struggle— Bremgarten. 

When  tlie  steamer  at  Imyn  liad  embarked  tlie 
three  sportsmen,  and  the  little  pier  was  quiet,  we 
got  a  cart  out  for  the  Rob  Roy,  and  bargained  to 
have  it  rumbled  over  the  hill  to  the  Lake  of  Lu- 
cerne for  the  sum  of  five  francs — it  is  only  half- 
an-hour's  walk.  The  landlord  himself  came  as 
driver,  for  he  was  fully  interested  about  the  canoe, 
and  he  did  not  omit  to  let  people  know  his  senti- 
ments on  the  subject  all  along  the  way,  but  called 
out  even  to  the  men  plucking  fruit  in  the  apple- 
trees,  who  had  perhaps  failed  to  notice  the  won- 
derful phenomenon  which  was  passing  on  the  road 
beneath.  There  was  a  permanent  joke  on  such 
occasions,  and,  oddly  enough,  it  was  used  by  the 
drivers  in  Germany  as  well  as  in  Switzerland,  and 
was  of  course  original  and  spontaneous  with  each 
of  them  as  they  called  out,  "  doing  to  America  !  " 
and  then  they  chuckled  at  the  brilliant  remark. 

The  village  we  came  to  on  Lucerne  was  the 
well-known  Kussnacht,  that  is,  one  of  the  well- 
known  Kussnachts,  for  there  are  plenty  of  these 
honeymoon  towns  in  Central  Europe.  In  the 
midst  of  the  customary  assembly  of  quidnuncs, 
eloquently  addressed  this  time  by  the  landlord- 


118  LAKE    OF   LUCERNE. 

driver,  the  canoe  was  launclied  on  another  lake, 
perhaps  the  prettiest  lake  in  the  world. 

Like  other  people,  and  at  other  times,  I  had 
traversed  this  beautiful  water  of  the  Four  Cantons, 
but  those  only  who  have  seen  it  well  by  steamer 
and  by  walking,  so  as  to  know  how  it  juts  in  and 
winds  round  in  intricate  geography,  can  imagine 
how  much  better  you  may  follow  and  grasp  its 
beauties  by  searching  them  out  with  a  canoe. 

For  thus  I  could  penetrate  all  the  wooded 
nooks,  and  dwell  on  each  view-point,  and  visit  the 
rocky  islets,  and  wait  long,  longer — as  long  as  I 
pleased  before  some  lofty  berg,  while  the  ground- 
swell  gently  undulated,  and  the  passing  cloud 
shaded  the  hill  with  grey,  and  the  red  flag  of  a 
steamer  fluttered  in  a  distant  sunbeam,  and  the 
plash  of  a  barge's  oar  broke  on  the  boatman's 
song ;  everything  around  changing  just  a  little, 
and  the  stream  of  inward  thought  and  admiration 
changing  too  as  it  flowed,  but  all  the  time,  when- 
ever the  eye  came  back  to  it  again,  there  was  al- 
ways the  grand  mountain  still  the  same, 

"  Like  Teneriffe  or  Atlas  unreinoved." 

How  cool  the  snow  looked  up  there  aloft  even  in 
the  heat  of  summer  !  and, — to  come  down  again  to 
one's  level  on  the  water, — how  lively  the  steamer 
was  with  the  music  of  its  band  and  the  quick 
beat  of  its  wheels  curling  up  white  foam.  Let  us 
speed  to  meet  it  and  to  get  a  tossing  in  the  swell, 
while  Jones  and  Smith,  under  the  awning,  cry  out, 
"  Why,  to  be  sure,  that's  the  Rob  Roy  canoe," 
and  Mrs.  Jones  and  the  three  Miss  Smiths  all  lift 
up  their  heads  from  their  "  Murray s,"  where  they 


SEEBURG   HOTEL.  119 

have  been  diligently  reading  the  history  of  Swit- 
zerland from  A.D.  1682,  and  then  the  description 
in  words  of  all  the  scenery  around,  although  they 
have  suffered  its  speaking  realities  in  mountain, 
wood,  and  lake  to  pass  before  their  very  eyes 
unnoticed. 

As  I  was  quite  fresh  in  good  "training  "  now, 
so  as  to  get  on  very  comfortably  with  ten  or  twelve 
hours'  rowing  in  the  day,  I  spent  it  all  in  seeing 
this  inexhaustible  Lake  of  Lucerne,  and  yet  felt 
that  at  least  a  dozen  new  pictures  had  been  left 
unseen  in  this  rich  and  lavish  volume  of  the  book 
of  nature.  But  as  that  book  had  no  page  in  it 
about  quarters  for  the  night,  it  was  time  at  last 
to  consider  these  homely  affairs,  and  to  look  out 
for  an  hotel ;  not  one  of  the  big  barracks  for 
Englishmen  spoken  of  before,  but  some  quiet  place 
where  one  could  stop  for  Sunday.  Coming  sud- 
denly then  round  a  shady  point,  behold  the  very 
place  !  But  can  it  be  an  hotel  ?  Yes,  there  is  the 
name,  '^  Seeburg."  Is  it  quiet  ?  Observe  the 
shady  walks.  Bathing  ?  Why,  there  is  a  bath  in 
the  lake  at  the  end  of  the  garden.  Fishing  ?  At 
least  four  rods  are  stretched  over  the  reeds  by 
hopeful  hands,  and  with  earnest  looks  behind, 
watching  breathless  for  the  faintest  nibble. 

Let  us  run  boldly  in.  Ten  minutes,  and  the 
boat  is  safely  in  a  shed,  and  its  captain  well 
housed  in  an  excellent  room  ;  and,  having  ordered 
dinner,  it  was  delicious  to  jump  into  the  lake  for 
a  swim,  all  hot  with  the  hot  day's  work,  and  to 
stretch  away  out  to  the  deep,  and  circle  round  and 
round  in  these  limpid  waters,  with  a  nice  little 
bath-room  to  come  back  to,  and  fresh  dry  clothes 


120  BONA-FIDE    BITE. 

to  put  on.  In  the  evening  we  had  very  pretty- 
English  music,  a  family  party  improvised  in  an 
hour,  and  broken  up  for  a  moonlight  walk,  while, 
all  this  time  (one  fancied),  in  the  big  hotel  of  the 
town  the  guests  were  in  stiff  coteries,  or  each  set 
had  retired  to  its  sitting-room,  and  lamented  how 
unsociable  everybody  had  become. 

I  never  was  more  comfortable  than  here,  with 
a  few  English  families  "  en  pension,'^  luxuriating 
for  the  sum  of  six  francs  per  day,  and  an  old 
Russian  General,  most  warlike  and  courteous,  who 
would  chat  with  you  by  the  hour  on  the  seat  under 
the  shady  chestnut,  and  smiled  at  the  four  perse- 
vering fishermen  whose  bag  consisted,  I  believe, 
of  three  nibbles,  one  of  them  allowed  on  all  hands 
to  have  been  bond  fide. 

Then  on  Sunday  we  went  to  Lucerne,  to  church, 
where  a  large  congregation  listened  to  a  very  good 
sermon  from  the  well-known  Secretary  of  the 
Society  for  Colonial  and  Continental  Churches. 
At  least  every  traveller,  if  not  every  home-stayed 
Englishman,  ought  to  support  this  Association, 
because  it  many  times  supplies  just  that  food  and 
rest  which  the  soul  needs  so  much  on  a  Sunday 
abroad,  when  the  pleasures  of  foreign  travel  are 
apt  to  make  us  think  and  act  as  if  only  the  mind 
and  body  constitute  the  man. 

I  determined  to  paddle  from  Lucerne  by  the 
river  Reuss,  which  flows  out  of  the  lake  and 
through  the  town.  The  river  is  one  of  four — the 
Rhine,  Rhone,  Reuss,  and  Ticino,  which  all  rise 
near  together  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  St. 
Gothard ;  and  yet,  while  one  flows  into  the  German 
ocean,  another  falls  into  the  Mediterranean,  both 


THE    RAPID    REUSS.  121 

having  first  made  between  them  nearly  the  com- 
pass of  Switzerland.  The  walking  tourist  comes 
often  upon  the  rapid  Beuss  as  it  staggers  and 
tumbles  among  the  Swiss  mountains.  To  me  it 
had  a  special  interest,  for  I  once  ascended  the 
Galenhorn  over  the  glaciers  it  starts  from,  and 
with  only  a  useless  guide,  who  lost  his  head  and 
then  lost  his  way,  and  then  lost  his  temper  and 
began  to  cry.  We  groped  about  in  a  fog  until 
snow  began' to  fall,  and  the  snowstorm  lasted  for 
six  hours — a  weary  time  spent  by  us  hapless  ones 
wandering  in  the  dark  and  without  food.  At 
length  we  were  discovered  by  some  people  sent 
out  with  lights  to  search  for  the  benighted 
pleasure-seeker. 

The  Reuss  has  many  cascades  and  torrent 
gorges  as  it  runs  among  the  shattered  crags,  and  it 
falls  nearly  6,000  feet  before  it  reaches  the  Lake 
of  Lucerne,  this  lake  itself  being  still  1,400  feet 
above  the  sea. 

A  gradual  current  towards  the  end  of  the  lake 
entices  you  under  the  bridge  where  the  river  starts 
again  on  its  course,  at  first  gently  enough,  and 
as  if  it  never  could  get  fierce  and  hoarse-voiced 
when  it  has  taken  you  miles  away  into  the  woods 
and  can  deal  with  you  all  alone.  The  map  showed 
the  E/Cuss  flowing  into  the  Aar,  but  I  could  learn 
nothing  more  about  either  of  these  rivers,  except 
that  an  intelligent  man  said,  "  The  Reuss  is  a 
mere  torrent,"  while  another  recounted  how  a  man 
some  years  ago  went  on  the  Aar  in  a  boat,  and 
was  taken  up  by  the  police  and  punished  for  thus 
perilling  his  life.  Deducting  from  these  state- 
ments the   usual  50  per  cent,  for  exaggeration, 


122  FAIR   FRIENDS. 

everything  appeared  satisfactory,  so  I  yielded  my 
boat  to  tlie  current,  and,  at  parting,  waved  my 
yellow  paddle  to  certaia  fair  Englisli  friends  who 
had  honoured  me  with  their  smiles,  and  who  were 
now  assembled  on  the  bridge.  After  this  a  few 
judicious  strokes  took  the  Rob  Roy  through  the 
town  and  past  the  pleasant  environs,  and  we  were 
now  again  in  happy  sport  on  running  water. 

The  current,  after  a  quiet  beginning,  soon  put 
on  a  sort  of  "business  air,"  as  if  it  did  not  mean 
to  dally,  and  rapidly  got  into  quick  time,  thread- 
ing a  devious  course  among  the  woods,  hayfields, 
and  vineyards,  and  it  seemed  not  to  murmur  as 
streams  generally  do,  but  to  sing  with  buoyant 
exhilaration  in  the  fresh  brightness  of  the  morn. 
It  certainly  was  a  change,  from  the  sluggish 
feeling  of  dead  water  in  the  lakes  to  the  Kvely 
tremulous  thrilling  of  a  rapid  river  like  the  Reuss, 
which,  in  many  places,  is  as  wide  as  the  Rhine 
at  Schaffhausen.  It  is  a  wild  stream,  too  fast 
for  navigation,  and  therefore  the  villages  are  not 
built  on  the  banks,  and  there  are  no  boats,  and 
the  lonely,  pathless,  forest-covered  banks  are  some- 
times bleak  enough  when  seen  from  the  water. 

For  some  miles  it  was  easy  travelling,  the 
water  being  seldom  less  than  two  feet  deep,  and 
with  rocks  readily  visible  by  the  eddy  bubbhng 
about  them,  because  they  were  sharp  and  jagged. 
It  is  the  long  smooth  and  round-topped  rock  which 
is  most  treacherous  in  a  fast  river,  for  the  spray 
which  the  current  throws  round  such  a  rock  is 
often  not  dijfferent  from  an  ordinary  wave.  JSTow 
and  then  the  stream  was  so  swift  that  I  was 
afraid  of  losing  my  straw  hat,  simply  from  the 


IS    IT    RIGHT  ?  123 

breeze  created  by  great  speed — for  it  was  a  day 
without  wind. 

It  cannot  be  concealed  tbat  continuous  physical 
enjoyment  such  as  this  tour  presented  is  a  danger- 
ous luxury  if  it  be  not  properly  used.  In  hours 
of  charming  brightness  my  mind  sometimes  turned 
back  to  work-day  life  and  daily  duty.  When  I 
thought  of  the  hospitals  of  London,  of  the  herds 
of  squalid  poor  in  foetid  alleys,  of  the  pale-faced 
ragged  boys,  and  the  vice,  sadness,  pain,  and 
poverty  we  are  sent  to  do  battle  with  if  we  be 
Christian  soldiers,  I  could  not  help  asking,  "  Am 
I  right  in  thus  enjoying  such  comfort,  such 
scenery,  such  health  ?  "  Certainly  not  right, 
unless  to  get  vigour  of  thought  and  hand,  and 
freshened  energy  of  mind,  and  larger  thankfulness 
and  wider  love,  and  so,  with  all  the  powers  re- 
cruited, to  enter  the  field  again  more  eager  and 
able  to  be  usefid.* 

In  the  more  lonely  parts  of  the  Eeuss  the  trees 
were  in  dense  thickets  to  the  water's  edge,  and 
the  wild  ducks  fluttered  out  from  them  with  a 
splash,  and  some  larger  birds  like  bustards  hovered 
about  the  canoe.  I  think  among  the  flpng  com- 
panions there  was  also  the  bunting,  or  "  ammer" 
(from  which  German  word  comes  our  English 
"  yellow  hammer"),  wood-pigeon,  and  very  beau- 
tiful hawks.  The  herons  and  kingfishers  were 
here  as  well,  but  not  so  many  of  them  as  on  the 
Danube. 

*  More  than  40  lectures  were  given  upon  the  "  Eob 
Roy  on  the  Jordan,"  the  whole  profits  of  which,  amount- 
ing to  .£3,479,  were  given  to  schools,  hospitals,  churches, 
asylums,  and  other  institutions  in  England. 


124  CAUGHT   BY   A   ROPE. 

Nothing  particular  occurred,  although  it  was 
a  pleasant  morning's  work,  until  we  got  through 
the  bridge  at  Imyl,  where  an  inn  was  high  up 
on  the  bank.  The  ostler  helped  me  to  carry  the 
boat  into  the  stable,  and  the  landlady  knowing 
that  her  customer  would  never  come  again  auda- 
ciously charged  me  4s.  6d.  for  my  first  dinner,  for 
mine  was  a  greedy  crew  and  always  had  two  din- 
ners on  full  working  days. 

The  navigation  after  this  began  to  be  more 
interesting,  with  gravel  banks  and  big  stones  to 
avoid,  and  the  channel  to  be  chosen  from  among 
several,  and  the  wire  ropes  of  the  ferries  stretched 
tightly  across  the  river  requiring  to  be  noticed 
with  proper  respect.  You  may  have  observed 
how  difficult  it  is  sometimes  to  see  a  rope  when  it 
is  stretched  tight  and  horizontal,  or  at  any  rate 
how  hard  it  is  to  judge  correctly  of  its  distance 
from  your  eye.  This  can  be  well  noticed  in  walk- 
ing by  the  sea-shore  among  fishing-boats  moored 
on  the  beach,  when  you  will  sometimes  even  knock 
your  nose  against  a  taut  hawser  before  you  are 
aware  that  it  is  so  close. 

This  is  caused  by  the  fact  that  the  mind 
estimates  the  distance  of  an  object  partly  by 
comparing  the  two  views  of  its  surface  obtained 
by  the  two  eyes  respectively,  and  which  views 
are  not  quite  the  same,  but  differ,  just  as  the  two 
pictures  prepared  for  the  stereoscope.  Each  eye 
sees  a  little  round  one  side  of  the  object,  and  the 
solid  look  of  the  object  and  its  distance  are  thus 
before  the  mind.  Now  when  the  rope  is  hori- 
zontal the  eyes  do  not  see  round  the  two  sides  in 
this  manner,  though  if  the  head  is  leant  sideways 


BARRIERS. 


123 


"  Shirkiiig  a  FalL" 


it  will  be  found  tliat  the  illusion  referred  to  no 
longer  operates. 

Nor  is  it  out  of  place  to  inquire  tlius  at  length 
into  this  matter,  for  one  or  two  blunt  slaps  on  the 
head  from  these  ropes  across  a  river  make  it  at 
least  interesting  if  not  pleasant  to  examine  "  the 
reason  why."  And  now  we  haye  got  the  philo- 
sophy of  the  thing,  we  may  let  go  the  ropes. 

The  actual  number  of  miles  in  a  day's  work  for 
the  canoeist  is  much  influenced  by  the  number  of 
waterfalls  or  artificial  barriers  which  are  too  .dry 
or  too  high  to  allow  the  canoe  to  float  over  them. 


126  THE   HARD    PLACE. 

In  all  sucli  cases,  I  had  to  get  out  and  to  drag 
the  boat  round  by  the  fields,  or  to  lower  her 
carefully  among  the  rocks,  as  is  shown  in  the 
sketch  on  page  125,  which  represents  the  usual 
appearance  of  that  operation.  Although  this  sort 
of  work  was  a  change  of  posture,  and  brought 
into  play  new  muscular  action,  yet  the  strain 
sometimes  put  on  the  limbs  by  the  weight  of  the 
boat,  and  the  great  caution  required  where  there 
was  only  slippery  footing,  made  these  barriers  to 
be  regarded  on  the  whole  as  bores.  Full  soon 
however  we  were  to  forget  such  trifling  troubles, 
for  more  serious  work  impended. 

The  river  banks  suddenly  assumed  a  new  cha- 
racter. They  were  steep  and  high,  and  their 
height  increased  as  we  advanced  between  the  two 
upright  walls  of  stratified  gravel  and  boulders. 

A  full  body  of  water  ran  here,  the  current  being 
of  only  ordinary  force  at  its  edges,  where  it  was 
interrupted  by  rocks,  stones,  and  shingle,  and 
was  thus  twisted  into  eddies  innumerable.  To 
avoid  these  entanglements  at  the  sides,  it  seemed 
best,  on  the  whole,  to  keep  the  boat  in  mid- 
channel,  though  the  breakers  were  far  more  dan- 
gerous there,  in  the  full  force  of  the  stream.  I 
began  to  think  that  this  must  be  the  "hard 
place  "  coming,  which  a  wise  man  farther  up  the 
river  had  warned  me  was  quite  too  much  for  so 
small  a  boat,  unless  in  flood  times,  when  fewer 
rocks  would  be  in  the  way.  My  reply  to  this  was 
that  when  we  got  near  such  a  place  I  would  pull 
out  my  boat  and  drag  it  along  the  bank.  "  Ah ! 
but  the  banks  are  a  hundred  feet  high,"  he 
said.      So    I   had    mentally  resolved    (but    en- 


DIN.  127 

tirely  forgot)  to  stop  in  good  time  and  to 
clamber  up  the  banks  and  investigate  matters 
ahead  before  going  into  an  unknown  run  of 
broken  water. 

Such  plans  are  very  well  in  theory,  but  some- 
how the  approach  to  these  rapids  was  so  gradual, 
and  the  mind  was  so  much  occupied  in  overcoming 
the  particular  difficulty  of  each  moment,  that  no 
opportunity  occurred  for  rest  or  reflection.  The 
dull  heavy  roar  round  the  corner  got  louder  as  the 
Rob  Eoy  neared  the  great  bend.  For  here  the 
river  makes  a  turn  round  the  whole  of  a  letter  S, 
in  fact  very  nearly  in  a  complete  figure  of  8,  and 
in  wheeling  thus  it  glides  over  a  sloping  ledge  of 
flat  rocks,  spread  obliquely  athwart  the  stream  for 
a  hundred  feet  on  either  hand,  and  just  a  few 
inches  below  the  surface. 

The  canoe  was  swept  over  this  singular  place 
by  the  current,  its  keel  and  sides  grinding  and 
bumping  on  the  stones,  and  sliding  on  the  soft 
moss,  which  here  made  the  rock  so  slippery  and 
black.  The  progress  was  aided  by  sundry  pushes 
and  jerks  of  mine  at  proper  times,  but  we  ad- 
vanced altogether  in  a  clumsy,  helpless  style, 
until  at  length  there  came  in  sight  the  great  white 
ridge  of  tossing  foam  where  the  din  was  great,  and 
a  sense  of  excitement  and  confusion  filled  the  mind. 

I  was  quite  conscious  that  the  sight  before  me 
was  made  to  look  worse  because  of  the  noise 
around,  and  by  the  feeling  of  the  loneHness  and 
powerlessness  of  a  puny  man  struggling  in  a 
waste  of  breakers,  where  to  strike  on  a  single 
one  was  sure  to  upset  the  boat.  Here,  too, 
it  would  evidently  be  difficult  to  save  the  canoe 


128  HEADLONG. 

by  swimming  alongside  if  she  capsized  or  foun- 
dered, and  yet  it  was  utterly  impossible  now  to 
stop. 

Right  in  front,  and  in  the  middle,  I  saw  the 
well-known  wave  which  is  always  raised  when  a 
main  stream  converges,  as  it  rushes  down  a  narrow 
neck.  The  depression  or  trough  of  this  was  about 
four  feet  below,  and  the  crest  two  feet  above  the 
level,  so  the  height  of  the  wave  was  about  six 
feet.  Though  tall  it  was  thin  and  sharp-featured, 
and  always  stationary  in  position,  while  the  water 
composing  it  was  going  at  a  tremendous  pace. 
After  this  wave  there  was  another  smaller  one,  as 
frequently  happens. 

It  was  not  the  height  of  the  wave  that  gave 
any  concern ;  had  it  been  at  sea  the  boat  would 
rise  over  any  lofty  billow,  but  here  the  wave 
stood  still,  and  the  canoe  was  to  be  impelled 
against  it  with  all  the  force  of  a  mighty  stream, 
and  so  it  must  go  through  the  body  of  water,  for 
it  could  not  have  time  to  rise.  And  then  the 
question  remained,  "  What  is  behind  that  wave  ? " 
for  if  a  rock  is  there  then  this  is  the  last  hour  of 
the  E-ob  Boy. 

The  boat  plunged  headlong  into  the  shining 
mound  of  water  as  I  clenched  my  teeth  and 
clutched  my  paddle.  We  saw  her  sharp  prow 
deeply  buried,  and  then  my  eyes  were  shut  in- 
voluntarily, and  before  she  could  rise  the  mass 
of  solid  water  struck  me  with  a  heavy  blow  full 
in  the  breat,  closing  round  my  neck  as  if  cold 
hands  gripped  me,  and  quite  taking  away  my 
breath.* 

*  I  had  not  then  acquired  the  knowledge  of  a  valuable 


THE    STRUGGLE.  129 

Yivid  tlionglits  coursed  through  the  brain  in 
this  exciting  moment,  but  another  slap  from  the 
lesser  wave,  and  a  whirling  round  in  the  eddy 
below,  soon  told  that  the  battle  was  over,  and  the 
little  Rob  Roy  slowly  rose  from  under  a  load  of 
water,  which  still  covered  my  wrists,  and  then, 
trembling,  as  if  stunned  by  the  heavy  shock,  she 
staggered  to  the  shore.  The  river  too  had  done 
its  worst,  and  it  seemed  now  to  draw  off  from  hin- 
dering us,  and  so  I  clung  to  a  rock  to  rest  for  some 
minutes,  panting  with  a  tired  thrilling  of  nervous- 
ness and  gladness  strangely  mingled. 

Although  the  weight  of  water  had  been  so 
heavj'-  on  my  body  and  legs,  very  little  of  it  had 
got  inside  under  the  waterproof  covering,  for  the 
whole  affair  was  done  in  a  few  seconds,  and 
though  everything  in  front  was  completely 
drenched  up  to  my  necktie,  the  back  of  my  coat 
was  scarcely  wet.  Most  fortunately  I  had  re- 
moved the  flag  from  its  usual  place  about  an  hour 
before,  and  thus  it  was  preserved  from  being 
swept  away. 

Well,  now  it  is  over,  and  we  are  rested,  and 
can  begin  again  with  a  fresh  start ;  for  there  is 
still   some  work   to   do  in  threading  among  the 

fact,  that  a  sharp  wave  of  this  kind  never  has  a  rock 
behind  it.  A  sharp  wave  requires  free  water  at  its  rear, 
and  it  is  therefore  in  the  safest  part  of  the  river  so  far  as 
concealed  dangers  are  concerned.  This  at  least  was  the 
conclusion  come  to  after  frequent  observations  afterwards 
of  many  such  places.     (June,  1870.) 

A  faithful  representation  of  this  incident,  so  far  as  con- 
cerns the  water,  is  given  in  the  Frontispiece.  In  higher 
flood  the  river  would  be  faster  but  smoother,  in  lower 
times  it  would  be  slower  and  broken  into  pools. 

K 


130  BREMGARTEN. 

breakers.  Tlie  main  point,  however,  lias  been 
passed,  and  the  difficulties  after  it  look  small, 
though  at  other  times  perhaps  they  might  receive 
attention.  Here  is  our  resting-place,  the  old 
Roman  town  of  Bremgarten,  which  is  built  in  a 
hollow  of  this  very  remarkable  serpent  bend  of 
the  rapid  Reuss.  The  houses  are  stuck  on  the 
rocks,  and  abut  on  the  river  itself,  and  as  the 
stream  bore  me  past  these  I  clung  to  the  doorstep 
of  a  washerwoman's  house,  and  pulled  my  boat 
out  of  the  water  into  her  very  kitchen,  to  the 
great  amusement  and  surprise  of  the  worthy  lady, 
who  wondered  still  more  when  I  hauled  the  canoe 
again  through  the  other  side  of  her  room  until  it 
fairly  came  out  to  the  street  behind ! 

It  must  have  astonished  the  people  to  see  a 
canoe  thus  suddenly  appearing  on  their  quiet 
pavement.  They  soon  crowded  round  and  bore 
her  to  the  hotel,  which  was  a  moderately  bad  one. 
IsText  morning  the  bill  was  twelve  francs,  nearly 
double  its  proper  amount;  and  thus  we  encountered 
in  one  day  the  only  two  extortionate  innkeepers 
met  with  at  all,  and  even  at  this  second  one 
I  made  the  landlord  take  eight  francs  as  a 
compromise. 

This  quaint  old  Bremgarten,  with  high  walls 
and  a  foss,  and  antiquities,  was  well  worth  the 
inspection  of  my  early  morning  walk  next  day, 
and  then  the  Bob  Boy  was  ordered  to  the  door. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Hunger — Music  at  the  Mill — Damsels — Sentiment  and 
Chops — Buying  Clothes — The  Snags — Shooting  a  Fall — 
Fixed — An  ex-Courier — Log  Bearings — The  Drowned 
Lord — "  Wasserfall  '  —  Cow  and  Canoe  —  "  Valtare 
Scote  " — "  Man  Preserver.' ' 


The  wetting  and  excitement  of  yesterday  made 
me  rather  stiff  in  beginning  again ;  and  whenever 
a  rushing  sound  was  heard  in  front  I  was  aware 
of  a  new  anxiety  as  to  whether  this  might  not 
mean  the  same  sort  of  rough  work  as  yesterday's 
over  again,  whereas  hitherto  this  sound  of  breakers 
to  come  had  always  promised  nothing  but 
pleasure.  But  things  very  soon  came  back  to 
their  old  way,  a  continuous  and  varied  enjoyment 
from  morning  to  night. 

The  river  was  rapid  again,  but  with  no  really 
difficult  places.  I  saw  one  raft  in  course  of  pre- 
paration, though  there  were  not  many  boats,  for 
as  the  men  there  said,  "  How  could  we  get  boats 
up  that  stream?"  The  villages  near  the  river 
were  often  so  high  up  on  lofty  cliffs,  or  otherwise 
unsuitable,  that  I  went  on  for  some  miles  trying 
in  vain  to  fix  on  one  for  my  (No.  1)  dinner.  Each 
bend  of  the  winding  water  held  out  hopes  that 
down  there  at  last,  or  round  that  bluff  cape  at 
farthest,  there  must  be  a  proper  place  to  break- 
fast.    But  when  it  was  now  long  past  the  usual 

K  2 


132  MUSIC    AT    THE    MILL. 

hour,  and  tlie  shores  were  less  inhabited  and  hunger 
more  imperative,  we  determined  to  land  at  a  mill 
which  overhung  the  stream  in  a  picturesque 
spot. 

I  landed  unobserved.  This  was  a  blunder  in 
diplomacy,  for  the  canoe  was  always  good  as 
credentials ;  but  I  chmbed  up  the  bank  and 
through  the  garden,  and  found  the  hall  door 
open ;  so  I  walked  timidly  into  a  large,  comfort- 
able house,  leaving  my  paddle  outside  lest  it 
might  be  regarded  as  a  bludgeon.  I  had  come  as 
a  beggar,  not  a  burglar. 

The  chords  of  a  piano,  well  struck  and  by  firm 
fingers,  led  me  towards  the  drawing-room ;  for  to 
hear  music  is  almost  to  make  sure  of  welcome 
in  a  house,  and  it  was  so  now.  My  bows  and 
reverences  scarcely  softened  the  exceedingly 
strange  appearance  I  must  have  made  as  an  in- 
truder, clothed  in  universal  flannel,  and  ofiering 
ten  thousand  apologies  in  French,  German,  and 
English  for  thus  dropping  down  from  the  clouds, 
that  is  to  say,  climbing  up  from  the  water. 

The  young  miller  rose  from  the  piano,  and 
bowed.  His  fair  sister  stopped  her  sweet  song, 
and  blushed.  For  my  part,  being  only  a  sort  of 
"  casual,"  I  modestly  asked  for  bread  and  wine, 
and  got  hopelessly  involved  in  an  efi'ort  to  ex- 
plain how  I  had  come  by  the  river  unperceived. 
The  excessive  courtesy  of  my  new  friends  was 
embarrassing,  and  was  further  complicated  by  the 
arrival  of  another  young  lady,  even  more  surprised 
and  hospitable. 

Quickly  the  refreshments  were  set  on  the  table, 
and  the  miller  sealed  the  intimacy  by  lighting  his 


DAMSELS.  l33 

ample  pipe.  Our  conversation  was  of  the  most 
lively  and  unintelligible  character,  and  soon 
lapsed  into  music,  wlien  Beethoven  and  Goss 
told  all  we  had  to  say  in  chants  and  symphonies. 
The  inevitable  sketch-book  whiled  away  a  good 
hour,  till  the  ladies  were  joined  by  a  third  damsel, 
and  the  adventures  of  Ulysses  had  to  be  told  to 
three  Penelopes  at  once.  The  miller's  party 
became  humorous  to  a  degree,  and  they  resisted 
all  my  efforts  to  get  away,  even  when  the  family 
dinner  was  set  on  the  board,  and  the  domestic 
servants  and  farm-labourers  came  in  to  seat  them- 
selves at  a  lower  table.  This  was  a  picture  of 
rural  life  not  soon  to  be  forgotten. 

The  stately  grandmamma  of  the  mansion  now 
advanced,  prim  and  stiff,  and  with  dignity  and 
matronly  grace  entreated  the  stranger  to  join  their 
company.  The  old  oak  furniture  was  lightened 
by  a  hundred  little  trifles  worked  by  the  women, 
or  collected  by  the  tasteful  dihgence  of  their 
brother;  and  the  sun  shone,  and  the  mill  went 
round,  and  the  river  rolled  by,  and  all  was  kind- 
ness, "  because  you  are  an  EngHshman." 

The  power  of  the  Civis  Romanus  is  far  better 
shown  when  it  draws  forth  kindness,  than  when 
it  compels  fear.  But  as  respects  the  formal  in- 
vitation it  would  not  do  to  stop  and  eat,  and  it 
would  not  do  to  stop  and  not  eat,  or  to  make  the 
potatoes  get  cold,  or  the  granddames'  dinner  too 
late ;  so  I  must  go,  even  though  the  girls  had 
playfully  hidden  my  luggage  to  keep  the  guest 
among  them. 

The  whole  party,  therefore,  adjourned  to  the 
little  nook  where  my  boat  had  been  left  concealed ; 


134  SENTIMENT   AND  CHOPS. 

and  wlien  they  caught  sight  of  its  tiny  form,  and 
its  little  fluttering  flag,  the  young  ladies  screamed 
with  delight  and  surprise,  clapping  their  hands 
and  waving  adieux  as  we  paddled  away. 

I  left  this  happy,  pleasant  scene  with  mingled 
feelings,  and  tried  to  think  out  what  was  the 
daily  life  in  this  sequestered  mill;  and  if  my 
paddling  did  for  a  time  become  a  little  senti- 
mental, it  may  be  pardoned  by  travellers  who  have 
come  among  kind  friends  where  they  expected 
perhaps  a  cold  rebuff. 

The  romantic  effect  of  all  this  was  to  make  me 
desperately  hungry,  for  be  it  known  that  bread 
and  wine  and  Beethoven  will  not  do  to  dine  upon 
if  you  are  rowing  forty  miles  in  the  sun.  So  it 
must  be  confessed  that  when  an  hour  afterwards 
I  saw  an  auberge  by  the  water's  edge  it  became 
necessary  to  stifle  my  feelings  by  ordering  an 
omelette  and  two  chops.  The  table  was  soon 
spread  under  a  shady  pear-tree  just  by  the  water, 
and  the  E-ob  Koy  rested  gently  on  the  ripples  at 
my  feet.  The  pleasures  of  this  sunny  hour  of 
well-earned  repose,  freshened  by  a  bunch  of  grapes 
and  a  pear  plucked  from  above  my  head,  were  just 
a  little  troubled  by  a  slight  apprehension  that 
some  day  the  miller's  sister  might  come  by  and 
hear  the  truth  as  to  how  had  been  comforted  my 
lacerated  heart. 

Again  "to  boat,"  and  down  by  the  shady  trees, 
under  the  towering  rocks,  over  the  nimble  rapids, 
and  winding  among  orchards,  vineyards,  and 
wholesome  scented  hay,  the  same  old  story  of 
constant  varied  pleasure.  The  hills  were  in  front 
now,  and  their  contour  showed  that  some  rivers 


BUYING    CLOTHES.  135 

were  to  join  company  with  the  E-euss,  which  here 
rolled  on  a  fine  broad  stream,  like  the  Thames  at 
Putney.  Presently  the  Limmat  flowed  in  at  one 
side,  and  at  the  other  the  river  Aar,  which  last 
then  gives  the  name  to  all  the  three,  though  it  did 
not  appear  to  be  the  largest. 

This  is  not  the  only  Aar  among  the  rivers,  but 
it  is  the  "  old  original  Aar,"  which  Swiss  travel- 
lers regard  as  an  acquaintance  after  they  have 
seen  it  dash  headlong  over  the  rocks  at  Handek. 
It  takes  its  rise  from  two  glaciers,  one  of  them  the 
Finster  Aar  glacier,  not  far  from  Grimsel ;  and 
to  me  this  gave  it  a  special  interest,  for  I  had  been 
hard  pushed  once  in  the  wilds  near  that  homely 
Hospice.  It  was  on  an  afternoon  some  years  ago, 
when  I  came  from  the  Furca,  by  the  Phone  glacier 
to  the  foot  of  the  valley,  walking  with  two  Ger- 
mans ;  and  as  they  were  rather  mufis,  and  meant 
to  stop  there,  I  thoughtlessly  set  off  alone  to 
climb  the  rocks  and  to  get  to  the  Grimsel  by 
myself. 

This  is  easy  enough  in  daylight,  but  it  was 
nearly  six  o'clock  when  I  started,  and  in  October  * 
so  after  a  short  half-hour  of  mounting,  the  snow 
began  to  fall,  and  the  darkness  was  not  made  less 
by  the  white  flakes  drifting  across  it.  By  some 
happy  conjuncture  I  managed  to  scale  the  pathless 
mountain,  and  struck  on  a  little  stream  which  had 
often  to  be  forded  in  the  dark,  but  was  always 
leading  to  the  desired  valley.  At  length  the  light 
of  the  Hospice  shone  welcome  as  a  haven  to  steer 
for,  and  I  soon  joined  the  pleasant  English  guests 
inside,  and  bought  a  pair  of  trousers  from  the 
waiter  at  3s.  6d.  for  a  change  in  the  wet. 


136  THE    S1JA.GS. 

But  paddling  on  the  Aar  had  no  great  danger 
where  we  met  it  now,  for  the  noisy,  brawling  tor- 
rent was  sobered  by  age,  and  after  much  knock- 
ing about  in  the  world  it  had  settled  into  a  steady 
and  respectable  river.  A  few  of  my  friends,  the 
snags,  were  however  lodged  in  the  water  here- 
abouts, and  as  they  bobbed  their  heads  in  uneasy 
beds,  and  the  river  was  much  discoloured,  it  be- 
came quite  worth  while  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout 
for  these  dangerous  companions. 

The  "  river  tongue,"  explained  already  as  con- 
sisting of  sign  language  with  a  parallel  comment 
in  loud  English,  was  put  to  a  severe  test  on  a  wide 
stream  like  this.  Consider,  for  example,  how  you 
could  best  ask  the  following  question  (speaking  by 
signs  and  English  only)  from  a  man  who  is  on  the 
bank  over  there  a  hundred  yards  away. 

^'  Is  it  better  for  me  to  go  over  to  those  rocks, 
and  keep  on  the  left  of  that  island,  or  to  pull  my 
boat  out  at  these  stumps,  and  drag  her  on  land 
into  this  channel  ?  " 

One  comfort  is  the  man  made  out  my  meaning, 
for  did  he  not  answer,  "  Ja  wohl  "  ?  He  would 
not  have  done  more  had  we  both  learned  the  same 
language,  even  if  he  had  heard  what  I  said. 

Mills  occurred  here  and  there.  Some  of  these 
had  the  waterwheel  simply  built  on  the  river ; 
others  had  it  so  arranged  as  to  allow  the  shaft  to 
be  raised  or  lowered  to  suit  the  varying  height  of 
water  in  floods  and  droughts.  Others  had  it 
floating  on  barges.  Others,  again,  had  a  half  weir 
built  diagonally  across  part  of  the  river ;  and  it 
was  important  to  look  carefully  at  this  wall  so  as 
to  see  on  which  side  it  ought  to  be  kept  in  select- 


SHOOTING   A   FALL.  ^      137 

ing  the  best  course.  In  a  few  cases  tliere  was 
another  construction  ;  two  half  weirs,  converged 
gradually  towards  the  middle  of  the  river,  forming 
a  letter  Y,  with  its  sharp  end  turned  wj!9  the 
stream,  and  leaving  a  narrow  opening  there, 
through  which  a  torrent  flowed,  with  rough  waves 
dancing  merrily  in  the  pool  below.  I  had  to 
^^  shoot "  several  of  these,  and  at  other  times  to 
get  out  and  lower  the  boat  down  them,  in  the 
manner  explamed  before. 

On  one  occasion  I  was  in  an  unaccountably 
careless  fit,  and  instead  of  first  examining  the 
depth  of  the  water  on  the  edge  of  the  little 
fall,  I  resolved  to  go  straight  at  it  and  take  my 
chance. 

It  must  be  stated  that  while  a  depth  of  three 
inches  is  enough  for  the  canoe  to  float  in  when  all 
its  length  is  in  the  water,  the  same  depth  will  by 
no  means  sujB&ce  at  the  upper  edge  of  a  fall.  For 
when  the  boat  arrives  there  the  fore  part,  say 
six  or  seven  feet  of  it,  projects  for  a  time  over  the 
fall  and  out  of  the  water,  and  is  merely  in  the  air, 
without  support,  so  that  the  centre  of  the  keel  will 
sink  at  least  six  or  seven  inches  ;  and  if  there  be 
not  more  water  than  this  the  keel  catches  the  crest 
of  the  weir,  and  the  boat  will  then  stop^  and  per- 
haps swing  round,  after  which  it  must  fall  over 
sideways,  unless  considerable  dexterity  is  used  in 
the  management. 

Although  a  case  of  this  sort  had  occurred  to  me 
before,  I  got  again  into  the  same  predicament, 
which  was  made  far  more  puzzling  as  the  fore 
end  of  the  boat  went  under  a  rock  at  the  bottom 
of  the  fall,  and  thus  the  canoe  hung  upon  the  edge, 


138 


FIXED. 


"  Mxed  on  the  Fall.' 

and  would  go  neither  one  way  nor  another."^  It 
would  also  have  been  very  difficult  to  get  out  of 
the  boat  in  this  position ;  for  to  jump  feet  fore- 
most would  have  broken  the  boat — to  plunge  in 
head  first  on  the  rocks  below  would  have  broken 
my  head. 

The  canoe  was  much  wrenched  in  my  struggles, 
which  endedj  however,  by  man  and  boat  tumbling 

*  This  adventure  was  the  result  of  temporary  careless- 
ness, while  that  at  the  rapids  was  the  result  of  impatience, 
for  the  passage  of  these  latter  could  probably  have  been 
effected  without  encountering  the  central  wave  had  proper 
time  been  spent  in  examining  the  place.  Let  not  any 
tourist  then  be  deterred  from  a  paddle  on  the  Keuss, 
which  is  a  perfectly  suitable  river,  with  no  unavoidable 
dangers. 


AN   EX-COURIER.  139 

down  sideways,  and,  marvellous  to  say,  quite  safely 
to  tlie  bottom.  This  performance  was  not  one  to 
be  proud  of.  Surely  it  was  like  ingratitude  to 
treat  the  Bob  Roy  thus,  exposing  it  to  needless 
risk  when  it  had  carried  me  so  far  and  so  well. 

The  Aar  soon  flows  into  the  Rhine,  and  here  is 
our  canoe  on  old  Rhenus  once  more,  with  the  town 
of  Waldshut  ("  end  of  the  forest ")  leaning  over 
the  high  bank  to  welcome  us  near.  There  is  a 
lower  path  and  a  row  of  little  houses  at  the  bottom 
of  the  clifi",  past  which  the  Rhine  courses  with 
rapid  eddies  deep  and  strong.  Here  an  old  fisher- 
man soon  espied  me,  and  roared  out  his  biography 
at  the  top  of  his  voice  ;  how  hahad  been  a  courier 
in  Lord  Somebody's  family ;  how  he  had  jour- 
neyed seven  years  in  Italy,  and  could  fish  with 
artificial  flies,  and  was  seventy  years  old,  with 
various  other  reasons  why  I  should  put  my  boat 
into  his  house. 

He  was  just  the  man  for  the  moment ;  but  first 
those  two  uniformed  donaniers  must  be  dealt  with, 
and  I  had  to  satisfy  their  dignity  by  paddling  up 
the  strong  current  to  their  lair ;  for  the  fly  had 
touched  the  spider's  web  and  the  spiders  were  too 
grand  to  come  out  and  seize  it.  Grood  humour, 
and  smiles,  and  a  Kttle  judicious  irony  as  to  the 
absurd  notion  of  overhauling  a  canoe  which  could 
be  carried  on  your  back,  soon  made  them  release 
me,  if  only  to  uphold  their  own  dignity,  and  I 
left  the  boat  in  the  best  drawing-room  of  the  ex- 
courier,  and  ascended  the  hill  to  the  hotel  aloft. 
But  the  man  came  too,  and  he  had  found  time  to 
prepare  an  amended  report  of  the  boat's  journey 
for  the  worthy  landlord,  so,  as  usual,  there  was 


140  LOG   BEARINGS. 

soon  everything  ready  for  comfort  and  good 
cheer. 

Waldshut  is  made  up  of  one  wide  street  almost 
closed  at  the  end,  and  with  pretty  gardens  about 
it,  and  a  fine  prospect  from  its  high  position; 
but  an  hour's  walk  appeared  to  exhaust  all  the 
town  could  show,  though  the  scenery  round  such 
a  place  is  not  to  be  done  with  in  this  brief 
manner. 

The  visitors  soon  came  to  hear  and  see  more 
nearly  what  the  newspapers  had  told  them  of  the 
canoe.  One  gentleman,  indeed,  seemed  to  expect 
me  to  imfold  the  boat  from  my  pocket,  for  a 
French  paper  had  spoken  about  a  man  going  over 
the  country  "  with  a  canoe  under  his  arm."  The 
evening  was  enlivened  by  some  signals,  which 
burned  at  my  bedroom- window  to  lighten  up  the 
street,  which  little  entertainment  was  evidently 
quite  new — at  least  to  the  Waldshutians. 

Before  we  start  homewards  on  the  Rhine  with 
our  faces  due  West,  it  may  be  well  very  briefly  to 
give  the  log  bearings  and  direction  of  the  canoe's 
voyage  up  to  this  point. 

First,  by  the  Thames,  July  29,  E.  (East),  to 
Shoeburyness,  thence  to  Sheerness,  S.  From 
thence  by  rail  to  Dover,  and  by  steamer  to  Ostend, 
and  rail  again,  Aug.  7,  to  the  Meuse,  along  which 
the  course  was  nearly  E.,  until  its  turn  into 
Holland,  N.E.  Then,  Aug.  11,  to  the  Rhine, 
S.E.,  and  ascending  it  nearly  S.,  until  at  Frank- 
fort, Aug.  17,  we  go  N.E.  by  rail  to  Asschaffen- 
burg,  and  by  the  river  wind  back  again  to  Frank- 
fort in  wide  curves.  Farther  up  the  Rhine,  Aug. 
24,  our  course  is  due  S.,  till  from  Freyburg  the 


THE     DROWNED    LORD.  141 

boat  is  carted  E.  to  the  Titisee,  and  to  Donaues- 
diingen,  and  Aug.  28,  descends  the  Danube,  which 
there  flows  nearly  E.,  but  with  great  bends  to  N. 
and  S.,  until,  Sept.  2,  we  are  at  Ulm.  The  rail 
next  carries  us  S.  to  the  Lake  of  Constance,  which 
is  sailed  along  in  a  course  S.W.,  and  through  the 
Zeller  See  to  Schaff'hausen,  Sept.  7,  it  was  about  W. 
Thence  turning  S.  to  Zurich,  and  over  the  lake 
and  the  neck  of  land,  and  veering  to  the  W.  by 
Zug,  we  arrive  on  Lucerne,  Sept.  10,  where  the 
southernmost  point  of  the  voyage  is  reached,  and 
then  our  prow  points  to  N.,  till,  on  Sept.  12,  we 
land  at  Waldshut. 

This  devious  course  had  taken  the  boat  to 
several  different  kingdoms  and  states — Holland, 
Belgium,  France,  Wurtemburg,  Bavaria,  and 
the  Grrand  Duchy  of  Baden,  Rhenish  Prussia, 
the  Palatinate,  Switzerland,  and  the  pretty  Hohen- 
zollern  Sigmaringen.  ISTow  we  had  come  back 
again  to  the  very  grand  Duchy  again,  a  land 
wherein  all  travellers  must  mind  their  p's  and  q's. 

The  ex-courier  took  the  canoe  from  his  wife's 
washing-tubs  and  put  her  on  the  Rhine,  and  then 
he  spirited  my  start  by  recounting  the  lively  things 
we  must  expect  soon  afterwards  to  meet.  I  must 
take  care  to  "  keep  to  the  right,"  near  the  falls  of 
Lauffenburg,  for  an  English  lord  had  been  carried 
over  them  and  drowned  ;*  and  I  must  beware  of 
Rheinfelden  rapids,  because  an  Englishman  had 
tried  to  descend  them  in  a  boat  with  a  fisherman, 

*  This  was  Lord  Montague,  the  last  of  his  line,  and  on 
the  same  day  his  family  mansion  of  Cowdray,  in  Sussex, 
was  burned  to  the  ground. 


142  "WASSERFALL." 

and  their  craft  was  capsized  and  the  fisherman 
was  drowned ;  and  I  must  do  this  here,  and  that 
there,  and  so  many  other  things  everywhere  else, 
that  all  the  directions  were  jumbled  up  together. 
But  it  seemed  to  relieve  the  man  to  tell  his  tale, 
and  doubtless  he  sat  down  to  his  breakfast  comfort- 
able in  mind  and  body,  and  cut  his  meat  into  little 
bits,  and  then  changed  the  fork  to  the  right  hand 
to  eat  them  every  one,  as  they  all  do  hereabouts, 
with  every  appearance  of  content. 

Up  with  the  sails !  for  the  East  wind  freshens, 
and  the  fair  wide  river  hurries  us  along.  This 
was  a  splendid  scene  to  sail  in,  with  lofty  banks 
of  rock,  and  rich  meads,  or  terraces  laden  with 
grapes.  After  a  good  morning's  pleasure  here 
the  wind  suddenly  rose  to  a  gale,  and  I  took  in  my 
jib  just  in  time,  for  a  sort  of  minor  hurricane  came 
on,  raising  tall  columns  of  dust  on  the  road  along- 
side, blowing  off  men's  hats,  and  whisking  up  the 
hay  and  leaves  and  branches  high  into  the  air. 

Still  we  kept  our  lug-saQ  set ;  and  with  wind 
and  current  in  the  same  direction  I  scudded  faster 
than  I  ever  sailed  before  in  my  life.  Grreat  exer- 
tion was  required  to  manage  a  light  skiff  safely 
with  such  a  whirlwind  above  and  a  whirlwater 
below ;  one's  nerves  were  kept  in  extreme  ten- 
sion, and  it  was  a  hurried  half-hour  of  pleasant 
excitement. 

For  this  reason  it  was  that  I  did  not  for  some 
time  notice  a  youth  who  had  been  running  after 
the  boat,  yelling  and  shrieking,  and  waving  his 
coat  in  the  air.  We  drew  nearer  to  him,  and 
then  luffed  up,  hailing  him  with,  "  What's  the 
matter  ?  "  and  he  could  only  pant  out,  ^'  Wasser- 


cow  AND    CANOE.  143 

fall,   Wasserfall,  fiiiif  minuten !" the  breeze 

had  brought  me  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the 
falls  of  Lauffenburg, — the  whistle  of  the  wind  had 
drowned  the  roar  of  the  water. 

I  crossed  to  the  right  bank  (as  the  ex-courier 
had  directed),  but  the  youth's  loud  cries  to  come 
to  the  "  Knks,"  or  left  side,  at  last  prevailed,  and 
he  was  right  in  this.  The  sail  was  soon  lowered, 
and  the  boat  was  hauled  on  a  raft,  and  then  this 
fine  young  fellow  explained  that  two  minutes 
more  would  have  turned  the  corner  and  drawn  me 
into  the  horrid  current  sweeping  over  the  falls. 

While  he  set  off  in  search  of  a  cart  to  convey 
the  boat,  I  had  time  to  pull  her  up  the  high  bank 
and  make  all  snug  for  a  drive,  and  soon  he  re- 
turned with  a  very  grotesque  carter  and  a  most 
crazy  vehicle,  actually  drawn  by  a  milch  cow ! 
All  three  of  us  laughed  as  we  hoisted  the  E,ob 
Roy  on  this  cart,  and  the  cow  kicked  vehe- 
mently, either  at  the  cart,  or  the  boat,  or  the 
laughing. 

Our  procession  soon  entered  the  little  town, 
but  it  was  difficult  to  be  dignified.  As  the  cart 
with  a  screeching  wheel  rattled  slowly  over  the 
big  round  stones  of  the  street,  vacant  at  midday, 
the  windows  were  soon  full  of  heads,  and  after 
one  peep  at  us,  down  they  rushed  to  see  the  fun.^ 
A  cow  drawing  a  boat  to  the  door  of  a  great 
hotel  is  certainly  a  quaint  proceeding  ;  although 
in  justice  to  the  worthy  quadruped  I  should  men- 
tion that  she  now  behaved  in  a  proper  and  lady- 
like manner. 

*  A  sketch  of  this  cow-cart  will  be  found  further  on. 


144  "VALTARE    SCOTE." 

Here  the  public  hit  upon  every  possible  way  but 
the  right  one  to  pronounce  the  boat's  name, 
which  was  painted  in  blue  letters  on  her  bow. 
Sometimes  it  was  "  E,oab  Ko/'  at  others  "  Ku- 
bree,"  but  at  length  a  man  in  spectacles  called 
out,  "Ah!  ah!  Yaltarescote ! ''  The  mild  Sir 
Walter's  novels  had  not  been  written  in  vain. 

The  falls  of  Lauffenburg*  can  be  seen  well  from 
the  bridge  which  spans  the  river,  much  narrowed 
at  this  spot.  A  raft  is  coming  down  as  we  look  at 
the  thundering  foam — of  course  without  the  men 
upon  it ;  see  the  great  solid  frame  that  seems  to 
resent  the  quickening  of  its  quiet  pace,  and  to 
hold  back  with  a  presentiment  of  evil  as  every 
moment  draws  it  nearer  to  the  plunge. 

Crash  go  all  the  bindings,  and  the  huge,  sturdy 
logs  are  hurled  topsy-turvy  into  the  gorge,  boun- 
cing about  like  chips  of  firewood,  and  rattling 
among  the  foam.  Nor  was  it  easy  to  look  calmly 
on  this  without  thinking  how  the  frail  canoe  would 
have  fared  in  such  a  cauldron  of  cold  water  boil- 
ing. The  salmon  drawn  into  this  place  get  ter- 
ribly puzzled  by  it,  and  so  they  are  caught  by 
hundreds  in  great  iron  cages  lowered  from  the 
rocks  for  this  purpose.  Fishing  stations  of  the 
same  kind  are  found  at  several  points  on  the  river, 
where  a  stage  is  built  on  piles,  and  a  beam  sup- 
ports a  strong  net  below.  In  a  little  house,  like 
a  sen  try-Box,  you  notice  a  man  seated,  silent  and 
lonely,  while  he  holds  tenderly  in  his  hand  a  dozen 
strings,  which  are  fastened  to  the  edges  of  the  net. 

*  "  LauflFenburg  "  means  the  "town  of  the  falls,"  from 
*'  lauf en,"  to  run  ;  and  the  Yankee  term  "  loafer "  may 
come  from  this,  •'  herum  laufer,"  one  running  about. 


*^MAN    PRESERVER."  145 

When  a  fish  is  beguiled  into  the  snare,  or  is  borne 
in  by  the  swift  current  bewildering,  the  slightest 
vibrations  of  the  net  are  thrilled  along  the  cords 
to  the  watcher's  hand,  and  then  he  raises  the  great 
beam  and  secures  the  prize. 

My  young  friend,  who  had  so  kindly  warned 
me,  and  hired  the  cow,  and  shown  the  salmon,  I 
now  invited  to  breakfast,  and  he  became  the  hero 
of  the  hour,  being  repeatedly  addressed  by  the 
other  inquirers  in  an  unpronounceable  German 
title,  which  signifies,  in  short, "  Man  preserver." 

Here  we  heard  again  of  a  certain  four-oared 
boat,  with  five  Englishmen  in  it,  which  had  been 
sent  out  from  London  overland  to  Schafi'hausen, 
and  then  rowing  swiftly  down  the  Rhine,  had 
come  to  Lauffenburg  about  six  weeks  before,  and 
I  fully  sympathised  with  the  crew  in  their  charm- 
ing pull,  especially  if  the  weather  was  such  as  we 
had  enjoyed;  that  is  to  say,  not  one  shower  in 
the  boat  from  the  source  of  the  Danube  to  the 
Palace  of  Westminster.  : 


CHAPTER  X. 

A  Field  of  Foam — Precipice — Puzzled — Philosophy — 
Rheinfelden  Rapids — Dazzled — Jabbering  — Blissful 
Ignorance — Astride — Find  a  Way — Very  Salt — 
Bright  Lad— German  Friend— The  Whirlpool — 
Cauliflower — Bride  and  Baby — "  Squar." 

The  canoe  was  now  fixed  on  a  hand-cart  and 
dragged  once  more  through  the  streets  to  a  point 
below  the  falls,  and  the  Rob  Koy  became  very 
lively  on  the  water  after  her  few  hours  of  rest. 
All  was  brilliant  around,  and  deep  underneath, 
and  azure  above,  and  happy  within,  till  the  dull 
distant  sound  of  breakers  began  again  and  soon 
got  louder,  and  at  last  was  near,  and  could  not  be 
ignored ;  we  have  come  to  the  rapids  of  Rhein- 
felden. 

The  exaggeration  with  which  judicious  friends 
at  each  place  describe  the  dangers  to  be  encoun- 
tered is  so  general  in  these  latitudes  that  one 
learns  to  receive  it  calmly,  but  the  scene  itself 
when  I  came  to  the  place  was  certainly  puzzling 
and  grand. 

Imagine  a  thousand  acres  of  water  in  white 
crested  waves,  varied  only  by  black  rocks 
resisting  a  struggling  torrent,  and  a  loud,  thun- 
dering roar,  mingled  with  a  strange  hissing,  as 
the  spray  from  ten  thousand  sharp-pointed  billows 
is  tossed  into  the  air. 


PRECIPICE.  147 

And  tlien  you  are  alone  too,  and  the  banks  are 
high,  and  you  liave  a  precious  boat  to  guard. 

While  there  was  time  to  do  it  I  stood  up  in  my 
boat  to  survey,  but  it  was  a  mere  horizon  of  waves, 
and  nothing  could  be  learned  from  looking.  Then 
I  coasted  towards  one  side  where  the  shrubs  and 
trees  hanging  in  the  water  brushed  the  paddle,  and 
seemed  to  be  so  safe  because  they  were  on  shore. 

The  rapids  of  Bremgarten  could  probably  be 
passed  most  easily  by  keeping  to  the  edge,  though 
with  much  delay  and  numerous  "  getting  outs," 
but  an  attempt  now  to  go  along  the  side  in  this 
way  was  soon  shown  to  be  useless,  for  presently  I 
came  to  a  lofty  rock  jutting  out  into  the  stream, 
and  the  very  loud  roar  behind  it  fortunately 
attracted  so  much  attention  that  I  pulled  into  the 
bank,  made  the  boat  fast,  and  mounted  through 
the  thicket  to  the  top  of  the  cliff. 

I  saw  at  once  that  to  try  to  pass  by  this  rock 
in  any  boat  would  be  madness,  for  the  swiftest 
part  of  the  current  ran  right  under  the  projecting 
crag,  and  then  wheeled  round  and  plunged  over  a 
height  of  some  feet  into  a  pool  of  foam,  broken 
fragments,  and  powerful  waves. 

But,  stay,  would  it  be  just  possible  to  float  the  boat 
past  the  rock  while  I  might  hold  the  painter  from 
above  ?  The  rock  on  careful  measurement  was 
found  too  high  for  this. 

To  see  well  over  the  cliff  I  had  to  lie  down  on 
my  face,  and  the  pleasant  curiosity  felt  at  first,  as 
to  how  I  should  have  to  act,  now  gradually  sickened 
into  the  sad  conviction,  "  Impossible !  "  Then 
was  the  time  to  turn  with  earnest  eyes  to  the  wide 
expanse  of  river,  and  to  see  if  haply,  somewhere 

L  2 


148^  PUZZLED — PHILOSOPHY. 

at  least,  even  in  the  middle,  a  channel  might  be 
traced.  Yes,  there  certainly  was  a  channel,  only 
one,  very  far  out,  and  very  difficult  to  hit  upon 
when  you  sit  in  a  boat  quite  near  the  level  of  the 
water  ;  but  the  attempt  must  now  be  made,  or — 
might  I  not  get  the  boat  carried  round  by  land  ? 
Under  the  trees  far  off  were  men  who  might  be 
called  to  help,  labourers  quietly  working,  and 
never  minding  me.  I  was  tempted,  but  did  not 
yield. 

For  a  philosophical  thought  had  come  upmost, 
that,  after  all,  the  boat  had  not  to  meet  every  wave 
and  rock  now  visible,  and  the  thousand  breakers 
dashing  around,  but  only  a  certain  few  which  would 
be  on  each  side  in  my  crooked  and  untried  way  ; 
in  fact  that  of  the  rocks  in  any  one  line — say  fifty 
of  them  between  me  and  any  point — only  two 
would  become  a  new  danger  in  crossing  that  line. 

Then,  again,  rapids  look  worse  from  the  shore 
than  they  really  are,  because  you  see  all  their 
difficulties  at  once,  and  you  hear  the  general  din. 
On  the  other  hand,  waves  look  much  smaller  from 
the  bank  (being  half  hidden  by  others)  than  you 
find  them  to  be  when  the  boat  is  in  the  trough 
between  two.  Thus,  the  hidden  rocks  may  make 
a  channel  that  looks  good  enough  from  the  land, 
to  be  quite^impracticable  when  you  attempt  it  in 
the  water. 

Lastly,  the  current  is  seen  to  be  swifter  from 
the  shore  where  you  can  observe  its  speed  from  a 
fixed  point,  than  it  seems  when  you  are  in  the 
water  where  you  notice  only  its  velocity  in  relation 
to  the  stream  on  each  side,  which  is  itself  all  the 
time  running  at  four  or  five  miles  an  hour.     But 


RHEINFELDEN   KAPIDS.  149 

it  is  the  positive  speed  of  the  current  tliat  ought 
reall}^  to  be  considered,  for  it  is  by  this  the  boat 
will  be  urged  against  a  breaker  stationary  in  the 
river. 

To  get  to  this  middle  channel  at  once  from  the 
place  where  I  had  left  my  boat  was  not  possible. 
We  must  enter  it  higher  up  the  river,  so  I  had  to 
pull  the  canoe  up  stream,  over  shallows,  and 
along  the  bristly  margin,  wading,  towing,  and 
struggling,  for  about  half  a  mile,  till  at  length  it 
seemed  we  must  be  high  enough  up  stream  to  let 
me  paddle  out  swiftly  across,  while  the  current 
would  take  the  boat  sideways  to  the  rough  water. 

And  now  in  a  little  quiet  bay  I  rested  half  an 
hour  to  recover  strength  after  this  exertion,  and  to 
prepare  fully  for  a  "  spurt,"  which  might  indeed 
be  delayed  in  starting,  but  which,  once  begun, 
must  be  vigorous  and  watchful  to  the  end. 

Here  various  thoughts  blended  and  tumbled 
about  in  the  mind  most  disorderly.  To  leave  this 
quiet  bank  and  willingly  rush  out,  in  cold  blood, 
into  a  field  of  white  breakers  ;  to  tarnish  the  fair 
journey  with  a  foolhardy  prank;  to  risk  the  Rob 
E-oy  where  the  touch  of  one  rock  was  utter  destruc- 
tion. Will  it  be  pleasant  ?  Can  it  be  wise  ?  Is 
it  right  ? 

The  answer  was,  to  sponge  out  every  drop  of 
water  from  the  boat,  to  fasten  the  luggage  inside, 
that  it  might  not  fall  out  in  an  upset,  to  brace  the 
waterproof  cover  all  tight  round,  and  to  get  its 
edge  in  my  teeth  ready  to  let  go  in  capsizing, — 
and  then  to  pull  one  gentle  stroke  which  put  the 
boat's  nose  out  of  the  quiet  water  into  the  fast 
stream,  and  hurrah  !  we  are  off  at  a  swinging  pace. 


150  DAZZLED. 

The  sun,  now  sliming  exactly  up  stream,  was 
an  exceedingly  uncomfortable  addition  to  the 
difficulties ;  for  its  glancing  beams  confounded 
all  the  horizon  in  one  general  band  of  light,  so 
that  rocks,  waves,  solid  water,  and  the  most  flimsy 
foam  were  all  the  same  at  a  little  distance.  This, 
the  sole  disadvantage  of  a  cloudless  sky,  was  so 
much  felt  in  my  homeward  route  that  I  sometimes 
prolonged  the  morning's  work  by  three  or  four 
hours  (with  sun  behind  or  on  one  side),  so  as  to 
shorten  the  evening's  quota  where  it  was  dead  in 
the  eye  of  the  sun.  On  the  present  occasion,  when 
it  was  of  great  moment  to  hit  the  channel  exactly, 
I  could  not  see  it  at  all,  even  with  my  blue  spec- 
tacles on.  They  seemed  to  be  utterly  powerless 
against  such  a  fiery  blaze ;  and,  what  was  almost 
worse,  my  eyes  were  thereby  so  dazzled  that  on 
looking  to  nearer  objects  I  could  scarcely  see  them 
either. 

This  unexpected  difficulty  was  so  serious  that  I 
thought  for  a  moment  of  keeping  on  in  my  pre- 
sent course  (directed  straight  across  the  river),  so 
as  to  attain  the  opposite  side,  and  there  to  wait 
for  the  sun  to  go  down.  But  it  was  already  too 
late  to  adopt  this  plan,  for  the  current  had  been 
swiftly  bearing  me  down  stream,  and  an  instant 
decision  must  be  made.  "  Now,"  thought  I, 
"judging  by  the  number  of  paddle-strokes,  we 
must  surely  be  opposite  the  channel  in  the  middle, 
and  now  I  must  turn  to  it." 

By  a  happy  hit,  the  speed  and  the  direction  of 
the  canoe  were  both  well  fitted,  so  that  when  the 
current  had  borne  us  to  the  breakers  the  boat's 
bow  was  just  turned  exactly  down  stream,  and  I 


JABBERING.  151 

entered  the  channel  whistling,  for  very  loneliness, 
like  a  boy  in  the  dark. 

But  it  was  soon  seen  to  be  *'  all  right,  English- 
man ; "  so  in  ten  minutes  more  the  canoe  had 
passed  the  rapids,  and  we  floated  along  pleasantly 
on  that  confused  bobbery  of  little  billows  always 
found  below  broken  water, — a  very  mob  of  waves, 
which  for  a  time  seem  to  be  elbowing  and  jostling 
in  all  directions  to  find  their  proper  places. 

I  saw  here  two  fishermen  by  one  of  the  salmon 
traps  described  above,  and  at  once  pulled  over  to 
them,  to  land  on  a  little  white  bank  of  sand,  that 
I  might  rest,  and  bale  out,  and  hear  the  news. 
The  men  asked  if  I  had  come  down  the  rapids  in 
that  boat.  "  Yes."  ''  By  the  middle  channel  ?  " 
"Yes."  They  smiled  to  each  other,  and  then 
both  at  once  commenced  a  most  voluble  and  loud- 
spoken  address  in  the  vilest  of  patois.  Their 
eagerness  and  energy  rose  to  such  a  pitch  that  I 
began  to  suppose  they  were  angry ;  but  the  upshot 
of  all  this  eloquence  (always  louder  when  you  are 
seen  not  to  understand  one  word  of  it)  was  this, 
"  There  are  other  rapids  to  come.  You  will  get 
there  in  half  an  hour.  They  are  far  worse  than 
what  you  have  passed.  Your  boat  must  be  carried 
round  them  on  land." 

To  see  if  this  was  said  to  induce  me  to  employ 
them  as  porters,  I  asked  the  men  to  come  along 
in  their  boat,  so  as  to  be  ready  to  help  me ;  but 
they  consulted  together,  and  did  not  by  any  means 
agree  in  admiring  this  proposal.  Then  I  asked 
them  to  explain  the  best  route  through  the  next 
rapids,  when  they  drew  such  confused  diagrams 
on  the  sand,  and  gave  such  complicated  directions. 


152  BLISSFUL   IGNORANCE. 

that  it  was  impossible  to  make  head  or  tail  of 
their  atrocious  jargon  ;  so  I  quietly  bowed,  wiped 
out  the  sand  pictures  with  my  foot,  and  started 
again  happy  and  free ;  for  it  is  really  the  case  that 
in  these  things  "ignorance  is  bliss."  The  excite- 
ment of  finding  your  way,  and  the  satisfaction 
when  you  have  found  it  yourself,  is  well  worth  all 
the  trouble.  Just  so  in  mountain  travel.  If  you 
go  merely  to  work  the  muscles,  and  to  see  the 
view,  it  wiU  do  to  be  tied  by  a  rope  to  three 
guides,  and  to  follow  behind  them;  but  then 
theirs  is  all  the  mental  exertion,  and  tact,  and 
judgment,  while  yours  is  only  the  merit  of  keep- 
ing up  with  the  leaders,  treading  in  their  steps. 
And  therefore  I  have  observed  that  there  is  less 
of  this  particular  pleasure  of  the  discoverer  when 
one  is  ascending  Mont  Blanc,  where  by  traditional 
rule  one  must  be  tied  to  the  guides,  than  in 
making  out  a  path  over  a  mountain  pass  un- 
directed, though  the  heights  thus  climbed  up  are 
not  so  great. 

When  the  boat  got  near  the  lower  rapids,  I 
went  ashore  and  walked  for  half  a  mile  down  the 
bank,  and  so  was  able  to  examine  the  bearings 
well.  It  appeared  practicable  to  get  along  by  the 
shallower  parts  of  one  side,  so  this  was  resolved 
upon  as  my  course.  It  is  surely  quite  fair  to  go 
by  the  easiest  way,  provided  there  is  no  carrying 
overland  adopted,  or  other  plan  for  shirking  the 
water.  The  method  accordingly  used  in  this  case 
was  rather  a  novel  mode  of  locomotion,  and  it  was 
quite  successful,  as  well  as  highly  amusing. 

In  the  wide  plain  of  breakers  here,  the  central 
district   seemed  radically  bad,  so  we   cautiously 


ASTRIDE. 


153 


Second  Rapids. 


kept  out  of  the  main  current,  and  went  where  the 
stream  ran  fast  enough  nevertheless.  I  sat  stride- 
legs  on  the  deck  of  the  boat  near  its  stern,  and 
was  thus  floated  down  until  the  bow,  projecting 
out  of  the  water,  went  above  a  ridge  of  rocks,  and 
the  boat  grounded.  Thus  the  shock  was  received 
against  my  legs  hanging  in  the  water,  so  that  the 
violence  of  its  blow  was  eased  from  the  boat. 
Standing,  then,  with  both  feet  on  the  rock,  while 
the  canoe  went  free  from  between  my  knees,  she 
could  be  lowered  down  or  pushed  forward  until 
the  water  got  deeper,  and  when  it  got  too  deep  to 
wade  after    her  the  Rob  Roy  was  pulled  back 


154  FIND   A   WAY. 

between  my  knees,  and  I  sat  down  again  on  the 
deck  as  before. 

The  chief  difficulty  in  this  proceeding  was  to  be 
equally  attentive  at  once  to  keep  hold  of  the  boat, 
to  guide  it  between  rocks,  to  keep  hold  of  the 
paddle,  and  to  manage  not  to  tumble  on  loose 
stones,  or  to  get  into  the  water  above  the 
waist. 

Thus  by  successive  riding  and  ferrying  over 
the  deep  pools,  and  walking  and  wading  in  the 
shallows,  by  pushing  the  boat  here,  and  by  being 
carried  upon  it  there,  the  lower  rapids  of  Rhein- 
felden  were  most  successfully  passed  without  any 
damage. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  description  already 
given  of  the  rapids  at  Bremgarten,  and  now  of 
these  two  rapids  on  the  Rhine,  that  the  main 
difficulties  are  only  for  him  who  goes  there 
uninformed,  and  that  these  can  be  avoided  by 
examining  them  on  the  spot  at  the  cost  of  a  walk 
and  a  short  delay.  But  the  pleasure  is  so  much 
enhanced  by  the  whole  thing  being  novel,  that, 
except  for  a  man  who  wishes  simply  to  get  past, 
it  is  better  to  seek  a  channel  for  yourself,  even  if 
a  much  easier  one  has  been  found  out  by  other 
people. 

The  town  of  Rheinfelden  was  now  in  view,  and 
we  began  to  wonder  how  the  English  four-oar  boat 
we  had  traced  as  far  as  Lauffenburg  could  have 
managed  to  descend  the  rapids  just  now  passed. 
But  we  learned  afterwards  that  the  four-oar  had 
come  there  in  a  time  of  flood,  when  rocks  would 
be  covered,  and  probably  with  only  such  eddies  as 
we  had  already  noticed  higher  up  the  river  where 


VERY    SALT.  155 

it  was  deep.  So  they  pulled  on  bravely  to  Bale 
where  the  hotel  folks  mentioned  that  when  the 
five  moist  Britons  arrived  their  clothes  and  bag- 
gage were  all  drenched,  and  the  waiter  said,  with 
a  malicious  grin,  that  thereby  his  friend  the 
washerwoman  had  earned  twenty-seven  francs  in 
one  night.  I  steered  to  a  large  building  with  a 
smooth  gravel  shore  in  front — the  salt-water 
baths  of  Rheinfelden — a  favourite  resort  for 
crippled  invalids.  The  salt  rock  in  the  earth 
beneath  impregnates  the  springs  with  such  an 
intensity  of  brine  that  eighty  per  cent,  of  fresh 
water  has  to  be  added  before  the  saline  mixture 
can  be  medicinally  employed  as  a  bath.  If  you 
take  a  glass  of  the  water  as  it  comes  from  the 
spring,  and  put  a  little  salt  in  it,  the  salt  will  not 
dissolve,  for  the  water  is  already  saturated,  and  a 
drop  of  it  put  on  your  coat  speedily  dries  up  and 
leaves  a  white  stain  of  minute  crystals.  In  fact, 
this  water  seemed  to  me  to  be  far  more  saline  than 
even  the  water  of  the  Dead  Sea,  which  is  in  all 
conscience  salt  enough,  as  every  one  knows  who 
has  rubbed  it  on  his  face  in  that  reeking  hot 
death-stricken  valley  of  Jericho. 

Though  the  shore  was  pleasant  here  and  the 
water  was  calm,  there  was  no  one  to  welcome  me 
now,  and  yet  this  was  the  only  time  I  had  reason 
to  expect  somebody  to  greet  the  arrival  of  the 
canoe.  For  in  the  morning  a  worthy  German 
had  told  me  he  was  going  by  train  to  Bheinfelden, 
and  he  would  keep  a  look  out  for  the  canoe,  and 
would  surely  meet  me  there  if  we  "  ever  got 
through  the  rapids."  But  he  said  afterwards 
that  he  had  come  there,  and  with  his  friends,  too. 


156  BRIGHT    LAD. 

and  they  had  waited  and  waited  till  at  last  they 
gave  up  the  E-ob  Roy  as  a  "  missing  ship." 
Excellent  man,  he  must  have  had  some  novel 
excuses  to  comfort  his  friends  with  as  they  retired, 
disappointed,  after  waiting  in  vain  ! 

There  was  however,  not  far  off,  a  poor  woman 
washing  clothes  by  the  river,  and  thumping  and 
bullying  them  with  a  wooden  bludgeon  as  if  her 
sole  object  was  to  smash  up  the  bachelor's  shirt- 
buttons.  A  fine  boy  of  eight  years  old  was  with 
her,  a  most  intelligent  little  fellow,  whose  quick 
eye  at  once  caught  sight  of  the  Rob  Roy  as  it 
dashed  round  the  point  and  landed  me  there  a 
tired,  tanned  traveller,  wet  and  warm. 

This  juvenile  helped  me  more  than  any  man 
ever  did,  and  with  such  alacrity,  too,  and  intelli- 
gence, and  good  humour,  that  I  felt  grateful  to 
the  boy.  We  spead  out  the  sails  to  dry,  and  my 
socks  and  shoes  in  the  sun,  and  sponged  out  the 
boat,  and  then  dragged  her  up  the  high  bank. 
Here,  by  good  luck,  we  found  two  wheels  on  an 
axle  left  alone,  for  what  purpose  I  cannot  imagine ; 
but  we  got  a  stick  and  fastened  it  to  them  as  a  pole, 
and  put  the  boat  on  this  extemporized  vehicle, — 
the  boy  having  duly  got  permission  from  his 
mamma — and  then  we  pulled  the  canoe  to  the 
gates  of  the  old  town,  rattling  through  the  streets, 
even  to  the  door  of  the  hotel.  A  bright  franc  in 
the  lad's  hand  made  him  start  with  amaze,  but  he 
instantly  rose  to  the  dignity  of  the  occasion,  and 
some  dozens  of  other  urchins  formed  an  attentive 
audience  as  he  narrated  over  and  over  the  events  of 
the  last  half-hour,  and  ended  always  by  showing  the 
treasure  in  his  hand, "  and  the  Herr  gave  me  this  !" 


GERMAN   FRIEND.  157 

The  Krone  hotel  here  is  very  prettily  situated. 
It  is  a  large  house,  with  balconies  overlooking  the 
water,  and  a  babbling  jet  d'eau  in  its  garden,  which 
is  close  by  the  river.  The  stream  flows  fast  in 
front,  and  retains  evidence  of  having  passed 
through  troublous  times  higher  up;  therefore  it 
makes  no  small  noise  as  it  rushes  under  the  arches 
of  the  covered  wooden  bridge,  but  though  there 
are  rocks  and  a  few  eddies  the  passage  is  easy 
enough  if  you  look  at  it  for  five  minutes  to  form 
a  mental  chart  of  your  course.  My  Grerman  friend 
ha^dng  found  out  that  the  canoe  had  arrived  after 
all,  his  excitement  and  pleasure  abounded.  JSTow 
he  was  proved  right.  Now  his  promises,  broken 
as  it  seemed  all  day,  were  all  fulfilled. 

He  was  a  very  short,  very  fat,  and  very  hilarious 
personage,  with  a  minute  smattering  of  English, 
which  he  had  to  speak  loudly,  so  as  to  magnify  its 
value  among  his  Allemand  friends,  envious  of  his 
accomplishment.  His  explanations  of  the  contents 
of  my  sketch-book  were  truly  ludicrous  as  he 
dilated  on  it  page  hj  page,  but  he  well  deserved 
all  gratitude  for  ordering  my  hotel  bed-room  and 
its  comforts,  which  were  never  more  acceptable 
than  now  after  a  hard  day's  work.  Music  finished 
the  evening,  and  then  the  hum  of  the  distant 
rapids  sung  me  a  lullaby  breathing  soft  slumber. 

Next  morning,  as  there  was  but  a  short  row  to 
Bale,  I  took  a  good  long  rest  in  bed,  and  then 
carried  the  canoe  half  way  across  the  bridge  where 
a  picturesque  island  is  formed  into  a  terraced 
garden,  and  here  we  launched  the  boat  on  the 
water.  Although  the  knocks  and  strains  of  the 
last  few  days  were  very  numerous,  and  many  of 


158  THE   WHIRLPOOL. 

them  of  portentous  force,  judging  by  the  sounds 
they  made,  the  E-ob  Roy  was  still  hale  and  hearty, 
and  the  carpenter's  mate  had  no  damages  to  report 
to  the  captain.  It  was  not  until  harder  times 
came,  in  the  remainder  of  the  voyage,  that  her 
timbers  suffered  and  her  planks  were  tortured  by 
rough  usage. 

A  number  of  ladies  patronized  the  start  on  this 
occasion,  and  as  they  waved  their  parasols  and  the 
men  shouted  Hoch !  and  Bravo  !  we  glided  down 
stream,  the  yellow  paddle  being  waved  round  my 
head  in  an  original  mode  of  "  salute,"  which  was 
invented  specially  for  returning  friendly  gratula- 
tions. 

Speaking  about  Rheinfelden,  Baedeker  says, — 
"  Below  the  town  another  rapid  of  the  Rhine 
forms  a  sort  of  whirlpool  called  the  Hollenhaken," 
a  formidable  announcement,  and  a  terrible  name  ; 
but  what  is  called  here  a  "whirlpool"  is  not  worth 
notice. 

The  sound  of  a  railway  train  beside  the  river 
reminds  you  that  this  is  not  quite  a  strange,  wild, 
unseen  country.  Reminds  you  I  say,  because 
really  when  you  are  in  the  river  bed  you  easily 
forget  all  that  is  beyond  it  on  each  side.  Let  a 
landscape  be  ever  so  well  known  from  the  road,  it 
becomes  new  again  when  you  view  it  from  the 
level  of  the  water.  For  any  scene,  looked  at  from 
the  land,  is  bounded  by  a  semicircle  with  the  dia- 
meter on  the  horizon,  and  the  arch  of  sky  for  its 
circumference.  But  when  you  are  seated  in  the 
canoe,  the  picture  changes  to  the  form  of  a  great 
sector,  with  its  point  on  the  clear  water,  and  each 
radius  inclining  aloft  through  rocks,  trees,  and 


CAULIFLOWER.  159 

mossy  banks,  on  this  side  and  on  that.  And  this 
holds  good  even  on  a  well  worn  river  like  the 
Thames.  The  land-scenes  between  Oxford  and 
London  get  pretty  well  known  and  admired  by 
travellers,  but  the  views  of  the  same  places  will 
seem  both  fresh  and  fair  if  you  row  down  the  river 
through  them.  There  are  few  streams  which  have 
such  lovely  scenery  as  the  Thames  can  show  in  its 
windings. 

But  our  canoe  is  now  getting  back  to  civiliza- 
tion, and  away  from  that  pleasant  simplicity  where 
everything  done  in  the  streets  or  the  hotel  is 
strange  to  a  stranger.  Here  we  have  composite 
candles  and  therefore  no  snuffers  ;  here  the  waiter 
insists  on  speaking  English,  and  so  sitting  down 
by  me,  and  clutching  my  arm,  he  confidentially 
announces  that  there  are  no  "  bean  green  "  (trans- 
lating "haricots  verts"),  but  that  perhaps  I 
might  like  a  "  flower  caul,"  so  we  assent  to  a 
cauliflower. 

It  is  amusing  again  when  the  woman  waiter  of 
some  inland  German  village  shouts  louder  German 
to  you,  because  the  words  she  rattles  out  at  first 
have  not  been  understood.  She  gazes  with  a  new 
sensation  at  a  guest  who  actually  cannot  compre- 
hend her  voluble  clatter,  and  then  both  guest  and 
waiter  have  a  chorus  of  laughter. 

But  now  also  I  saw  a  boat  towed  along  the 
Rhine — a  painful  evidence  of  being  near  com- 
merce, even  though  it  was  in  a  primitive  style ; 
not  that  there  was  any  towing-path,  for  the  men 
walked  among  the  bushes,  pulling  the  boat  with  a 
rope,  and  often  wading  to  do  so.  This  sight  of 
another  boat,  however,  told  me  at  once  that  I  had 


160  BRIDE   AND    BABY. 

left  the  fine  free  forests  where  you  might  land 
anywhere,  and  it  was  sure  to  be  lonely  and  charm- 
ing. After  a  few  bends  westward  we  come  in  sight 
of  the  two  towers  of  Bale,  but  the  setting  sun 
makes  it  almost  impossible  to  see  anything  in  its 
brightness,  so  we  must  only  paddle  on. 

The  bridge  at  Bale  was  speedily  covered  by  the 
idle  and  the  curious  as  the  canoe  pulled  up  at  an 
hotel  by  the  water  on  Sept.  14.  It  was  here  that 
the  four-oared  boat  had  arrived  some  weeks  before 
with  its  moist  crew.  The  proprietor  of  the  house 
was  therefore  much  pleased  to  see  another  English 
boat  come  in,  so  little  and  so  lonely,  so  comfortable 
and  so  dry.  I  walked  about  the  town  and  entered 
a  church  (Protestant  here  of  course),  where  a 
number  of  people  had  assembled  at  a  baptism. 
The  baby  was  fixed  on  a  sort  of  frame,  so  as  to  be 
easily  handed  about  from  mother  to  father,  and 
from  clerk  to  minister ;  I  hereby  protest  against 
this  mechanical  arrangement  as  a  flagrant  indig- 
nity to  the  little  darling,  having  myself  a  great 
respect  for  babies,  sometimes  a  certain  awe. 

The  instant  the  christening  was  done,  a  happy 
couple  came  forward  to  be  married,  an  exceedingly 
clumsy  dolt  of  a  bridegroom  and  a  fair  bride, 
not  very  young,  that  is  to  say,  about  fifty-five 
years  old.  There  were  no  bridesmaids  or  other 
perplexing  appurtenances,  and  after  the  simple 
ceremony  the  couple  just  walked  away,  amid  the 
titters  of  a  crowd  of  women.  The  bridegroom  did 
not  seem  to  know  exactly  what  to  do  next.  He 
walked  before  his  wife,  then  behind  her,  and  then 
on  one  side,  but  it  did  not  somehow  feel  quite 
comfortable,  so  he  assumed  a  sort  of  diagonal 


ie    O^TT  *   T,     " 


SQUAR.  '  161 

position,  and  kept  nudging  her  on  till  they  dis- 
appeared in  some  house.  Altogether,  I  never 
saw  a  more  unromantic  commencement  of  married 
life,  yet  there  was  this  redeeming  point,  that  they 
were  not  bored  by  that  dread  infliction  —  a 
marriage  breakfast — the  first  meeting  of  two 
jealous  sets  of  new  relations,  who  are  all  expected 
to  be  made  friends  at  once  by  eating  when  they 
are  not  hungry,  and  listening  when  there  is 
nothing  to  say.  But  it  is  not  proper  for  me  to 
criticise  these  mysteries,  so  let  us  go  back  to  the 
inn.  In  the  cofifee-room  we  find  a  Frenchman, 
who  has  been  in  London,  and  is  now  instructing 
two  Mexicans,  who  are  going  there,  as  to  hotels. 
'Tis  droll  to  hear  his  description  of  the  London 
^^Caffy  Hous,"  and  the  hotels  in  "Lycester- 
squar."  He  said  "  It  is  pronounced  squar  in 
England.^' 


M 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Whicli  way  ? — Music  in  Jungle — Byron — Drawbridges — • 
Gros  Kembs  Thunderer — Thorough] y  dull — Fifty 
Locks — The  Bother  at  them — A  romantic  Lad — An 
odd  Fish — Night  Notes — Madame  Nico — Tedious — 
Stared  at — The  Lady  Cow— New  Wine. 

Bale  is,  in  every  sense,  a  turning-point  on  the 
Bhine.  The  course  of  the  river  here  bends 
abruptly  from  west  to  north,  and  the  character  of 
the  scenery  beside  it  alters  at  once  from  high 
sloping  banks  to  a  widespread  network  of  streams, 
all  entangled  in  countless  islands,  and  yet  ever 
tending  forward,  northward,  seaward  through  the 
great  rich  valley  of  the  Rhine  with  mountain 
chains  along  each  side,  two  everlasting  barriers. 
Here  then  we  could  start  anew  almost  in  any 
direction,  and  I  had  not  settled  yet  what  route  to 
take,  whether  by  the  Saone  and  Doubs  to  paddle 
to  the  Rhone,  and  so  descend  to  Marseilles,  and 
coast  by  the  Cornici  road,  and  sell  the  boat  at 
Genoa ;  or — and  some  other  plan  would  be  surely 
a  better  alternative,  if  it  avoids  a  sale  of  the  Rob 
Roy — I  could  not  part  with  her  now — so  let  us 
decide  to  go  back  through  France. 


MUSIC   IN   JUNGLE.  163 

"We  were  yet  on  tlie  river  slowly  paddling  when 
this  decision  was  arrived  at,  for  I  would  not  leave 
the  pleasant  current  for  a  slow  canal,  until  the 
last  possible  opportunity.  A  diligent  study  of 
new  maps  procured  at  Bale,  showed  that  a  canal 
ran  northward  parallel  to  the  E-hine,  and  ap- 
proached very  near  to  the  river  at  one  particular 
spot,  which  indeed  looked  hard  enough  to  find 
even  on  the  map,  but  was  far  more  dubious  when 
we  got  into  a  maze  of  streamlets  and  little  rivers 
circling  among  high  osiers,  so  thick  that  it  was 
impossible  to  see  a  few  yards.  But  the  line  of  tall 
poplars  along  the  canal  was  visible  now  and  then, 
so  I  made  a  guesswork  turn,  and  thus  we  got  so 
near  the  canal  that  by  winding  about  for  a  little 
in  a  pretty  limpid  stream,  the  Rob  Roy  came 
at  last  within  carrying  distance.  I  knew  very 
well  that  a  song  and  a  whistle  on  my  fingers 
would  be  sure  to  bring  anybody  out  of  the  osiers 
who  was  within  reach  of  the  concert,  and  so  it 
proved,  for  a  woman's  head  soon  peered  over  a 
break  in  the  dense  cover.  She  wished  to  carry 
the  boat,  but  the  skipper's  gallantry  had  scruples 
as  to  this  proposal,  so  she  fetched  a  man,  and  we 
bore  the  canoe  through  hedges  and  bushes,  and 
over  dykes  and  ditches,  and  deep  grassy  fields,  till 
she  was  safely  placed  on  the  canal. 

The  man  was  delighted  by  a  two-franc  piece ; 
he  had  been  well  paid  for  listening  to  bad  music. 
As  for  the  boat  she  lay  still  and  resigned,  await- 
ing our  next  move,  and  as  for  me  I  sighed  while 
giving  a  last  look  backward,  and  said  in  Byron's 
lines — 


M  2 


164  BYRON. 

*^  Adieu  to  thee,  fair  Eliine  !     How  long  delighted 
The  stranger  fain  wonld  linger  on  his  way  ! 
Thine  is  a  scene  alike  where  sonls  united 
Or  lonely  contemplation  thus  might  stray  ; 
And  could  the  ceaseless  vultures  cease  to  prey 
On  self- condemning  bosoms,  it  were  here, 
Where  Nature,  nor  too  sombre  nor  too  gay, 
"Wild  but  not  rude,  awful  yet  not  austere. 

Is  to  the  mellow  earth  as  autumn  to  the  year. 

Adieu  to  thee  again  !  a  vain  adieu  ! 
There  can  be  no  farewell  to  scene  like  thine  ; 
The  mind  is  colour'd  by  thy  every  hue  ; 
And  if  reluctantly  the  eyes  resign 
Their  cherish' d  gaze  upon  thee,  lovely  Rhine  ! 
'Tis  with  the  thankful  glance  of  parting  praise  ; 
More  niighty  spots  may  rise,  more  glaring  shine, 
But  none  unite  in  one  attaching  maze 
The  brilliant,  fair,  and  soft — the  glories  of  old  days. 

The  negligently  grand,  the  fruitful  bloom 
Of  coming  ripeness,  the  white  city's  sheen, 
The  rolling  stream,  the  precipice's  gloom, 
The  forest's  growth,  and  gothic  walls  between, 
The  wild  rocks  shaped  as  they  had  turrets  been 
In  mockery  of  man's  art  ;  and  these  withal 
A  race  of  faces  happy  as  the  scene. 
Whose  fertile  bounties  here  extend  to  all, 
Still  springing  o'er  thy  banks,  though  empires  near  them  fall. 

But  these  recede.     Above  me  are  the  Alps, 
The  palaces  of  nature,  whose  vast  walls 
Have  pinnacled  in  clouds  their  snowy  scalps, 
And  throned  eternity  in  icy  halls 
Of  cold  sublimity,  where  forms  and  falls 
The  avalanche — the  thunderbolt  of  snow  ! 
All  that  expands  the  spirit,  yet  appals. 
Gather  around  these  summits,  as  to  show  ^ 
How  earth  may  pierce  to  heaven,  yet  leave  vain  man  below." 

— Childe  Harold^  Canto  III. 


DRAWBRIDGES.  165 

To  my  pleasant  surprise  the  canal  had  a  decided 
current  in  it,  going  in  the  right  direction  about 
two  miles  an  hour ;  and  though  the  little  channel 
was  hardly  twelve  feet  wide,  yet  it  was  clear  and 
deep,  and  by  no  means  stupid  to  travel  on.  After 
a  few  miles  we  reached  a  drawbridge,  which 
rested  within  a  foot  of  the  water.  A  man  came 
to  raise  the  bridge  by  machinery,  and  he  wondered 
at  my  better  way  of  passing  it,  by  shoving  my 
boat  under  the  bridge,  while  I  walked  over  the 
top  and  got  into  the  boat  at  the  other  side. 
Doubtless  the  Rob  Roy  was  the  first  boat  which 
had  gone  under  that  bridge ;  but  I  had  passed 
several  very  low  bridges  on  the  Danube,  some  of 
them  not  two  inches  above  the  water,  and  in  these 
cases  the  Rob  Roy  went  over  the  bridge.  It  may 
be  asked,  how  do  such  low  bridges  fare  in  flood 
times  ?  Why,  the  water  simply  overflows  them. 
In  some  cases  the  planks  which  form  the  roadway 
are  removed  when  the  water  rises,  and  then  the 
wayfaring  man  who  comes  to  the  river  must 
manage  somehow,  but  his  bridge  is  removed  at  the 
very  time  when  the  high  water  makes  it  most 
necessary. 

The  bridge  man  was  so  intelligent  in  his  remarks 
that  we  determined  to  stop  there  and  breakfast,  so 
I  found  my  way  to  a  little  publichouse  at  the 
hamlet  of  Gros  Kembs,  and  helped  the  wizened 
old  lady  who  ruled  there  to  make  me  an  omelette 
— my  help,  by  the  bye,  consisted  in  ordering, 
eating,  and  paying  for  the  omelette,  for  the  rest 
she  was  sure  to  do  well  enough,  as  all  French 
women  can,  and  no  English  ones. 

The   village   gossips    soon   arrived,   and   each 


166  GROS    KEMBS    THUNDERER. 

person  wlio  saw  the  boat  came  on  to  the  inn  to 
see  the  foreigner  who  could  sail  in  such  a  bateau. 
The  courteous  and  respectful  behaviour  of  Con- 
tinental people  is  so  uniform  that  the  stranger 
among  them  is  bound,  I  think,  to  amuse  and  to 
interest  these  folk  in  return.  This  was  most 
easily  done  by  showing  all  my  articles  of  luggage,^ 
and  of  course  the  drawings.  A  Testament  with 
gilt  leaves  was,  however,  the  chief  object  of 
curiosity,  and  all  the  savants  of  the  party  tried  in 
turn  to  read  it. 

One  of  these  as  spokesman,  and  with  commen- 
dable gravity,  told  me  he  had  read  in  their  district 
newspaper  about  the  canoe,  but  he  "little  expected 
to  have  the  honour  of  meeting  its  owner."  Fancy 
the  local  organ  of  such  a  place  !  Is  it  called  the 
"News  of  the  Wold,"  or  the  "Gros  Kembs 
Thunderer "  ?  Well,  whatever  was  the  title  of 
the  Gazette,  it  had  an  article  about  Pontius  Pilate 
and  'my  visit  to  the  Titisee  in  the  Black  Forest, 
and  this  it  was  no  doubt  which  had  made 
these  canal  people  so  very  inquisitive  on  the 
occasion. 

The  route  now  lay  through  the  great  forest  of 
La  Hardt,  with  dense  thickets  on  each  side  of  the 
canal,  and  not  a  sound  anywhere  to  be  heard  but 
the  hum  now  and  then  of  a  dragon  fly.  One  or 
two  woodmen  met  me  as  they  trudged  silently 
home  from  work,  but  there  was  a  lonely  feeling 
about  the  place  without  any  of  the  romance  of 
wild  country.  I  had  to  push  on,  however,  and 
sometimes,  for  a  change,  to  tow  the  boat  while  I 

*  See  an  inventory  of  these  in  the  Appendix. 


THOROUGHLY   DULL.  167 

walked.  In  the  most  brilliant  day  tlie  scenery  of 
a  canal  has  at  best  but  scant  liveliness,  the  whole 
thing  is  so  prosaic  and  artificial,  and  in  fact 
stupid,  if  indeed  one  can  ever  call  a  place  stupid 
where  there  is  fresh  air  and  clear  water,  and  blue 
sky  and  green  trees.  Still  the  difference  between 
a  glorious  river  encircling  you  with  lofty  rocks 
and  this  canal  confining  with  its  earthen  walls, 
was  something  like  that  between  walking  among 
high  mountains  and  being  shut  up  by  mistake  in 
Bloomsbury-square. 

No  birds  chirped  or  sung,  or  even  flew  past, 
only  the  buzzing  of  flies  was  mingled  with  the 
distant  shriek  of  a  railway  train.  It  is  this  iron 
road  that  has  killed  the  canal,  for  I  saw  no  boats 
moving  upon  the  water.  The  long  continued 
want  of  rain  had  also  reduced  its  powers  of  accom- 
modation for  traffic,  and  the  traffic  is  so  little  at 
the  best  that  it  would  not  pay  to  buy  water  for 
the  supply.  For  in  times  of  drought  canal  water 
is  very  expensive.  It  is  said  that  the  Regent's 
Canal,  in  London,  had  to  pay  5,000/.  for  what  they 
required  one  very  dry  summer. 

At  length  we  came  to  a  wide  fork  of  the  canal 
in  a  basin,  and  I  went  along  the  branch  to  the 
town  of  Mulhouse,  a  place  of  great  wealth,  the 
largest  French  cotton  town — the  Manchester  of 
France.  The  street  boys  here  were  very  trouble- 
some, partly  because  they  were  intelligent,  and 
therefore  inquisitive,  and  partly  because  manufac- 
turing towns  make  little  urchins  precocious  and 
forward  in  their  manners. 

I  hired  a  truck  from  a  woman  and  hired  a  man 
to  drag  it,  and  so  we  took  the  boat  to  the  large 


168  FIFTY   LOCKS. 

hotel,  where  they  at  once  recognised  the  canoe, 
and  seemed  to  know  all  about  it  from  report. 

Next  morning  when  we  took  the  Rob  Roy  into 
the  railway  office  as  usual  and  placed  her  on  the 
counter  with  the  trunks  and  bandboxes  the 
officials  declined  to  put  her  in  the  train. 
This  was  the  first  time  the  canoe  had  been  refused 
on  a  railroad,  and  I  used  every  kind  of  persuasion, 
but  in  vain,  and  this  being  the  first  application  of 
the  kind  on  French  soil  we  felt  it  was  a  bad  pre- 
cedent, and  that  difficulties  were  ahead. 

The  French  railways  would  not  then  take  a 
canoe  as  baggage,  while  the  other  seven  or  eight 
countries  we  had  brought  the  boat  through  were 
all  amenable  to  pressure  on  this  point,  but  the 
French  too  are  wiser  now,  since  other  paddlers 
have  journeyed  there. 

We  had  desired  to  go  by  the  railway  only  a  few 
miles,  but  it  would  have  enabled  me  to  avoid  about 
fifty  locks  on  the  canal  and  thus  have  saved  two 
tedious  days.  As,  however,  they  would  not  take 
the  boat  in  a  passenger  train  we  carried  her  back 
to  the  canal,  and  I  determined  to  face  the  locks 
boldly,  and  to  regard  them  as  an  exercise  of 
patience  and  of  the  flexor  muscles,  in  fact  a  "  con- 
stitutional" on  the  water. 

The  Superintendent  of  the  Rhine  and  Rhone 
Canal  was  very  civil,  and  endeavoured  to  give  me 
the  information  I  required,  but  which  he  had  not 
got,  that  is  to  say,  the  length,  depth,  and  general 
character  of  the  several  rivers  we  proposed  to 
navigate  in  connexion  with  streams  less 
"canalises,"  so  I  had  to  start  as  usual,  without 
any  knowledge  of  the  way. 


THE    BOTHER   AT    THEM.  169 

"With  rather  an  ill-tempered  "  adieu"  to  Mul- 
house,  the  Rob  Roy  set  off  again  on  her  course, 
and  the  water  assumed  quite  a  new  aspect,  now 
that  one  must  go  by  it,  but  it  was  not  so  much  the 
water  as  the  locks  that  were  objectionable.  For 
at  each  lock  there  is  a  certain  form  of  operations 
to  be  gone  through — all  very  trifling  and  without 
variety,  yet  requiring  to  be  carefully  performed, 
or  you  may  have  the  boat  injured,  or  a  ducking 
for  yourself. 

When  we  come  to  a  lock  I  have  to  draw  to  the 
bank,  open  my  waterproof  apron,  put  my  pack- 
age* and  paddle  ashore,  then  step  out  and  haul 
the  boat  out  of  the  water.  By  this  time  two  or 
three  persons  usually  congregate.  I  select  the 
most  likely  one,  and  ask  him  to  help  in  such  a 
persuasive  but  dignified  manner  that  he  feels  it  is 
an  honour  to  carry  one  end  of  the  boat  while  I 
take  the  other,  and  so  we  put  her  in  again  above 
the  barrier,  and,  if  the  man  looks  poor,  I  give 
him  some  halfpence.  At  some  of  the  locks  they 
asked  me  for  a  "  carte  de  permission,"  or  "pass" 
for  travelling  on  their  canal,  but  I  laughed  the 
matter  off,  and  when  they  pressed  it  with  a  "  mais 
monsieur,"  I  kept  treating  the  proposal  as  a  good 
joke,  until  the  officials  were  fairly  baffled  and 
gave  in.  We  had  in  fact  got  into  the  canal  as 
one  gets  over  the  hedge  on  to  a  public  road,  and 
as  I  did  not  use  any  of  the  water  in  locks  or  any 

*  In  the  Baltic  voyage  the  luggage  was  placed  out  of  the 
way,  forward,  and  the  canoe  being  201bs.  lighter  than  the 
old  Eob  Eoy,  many  improvements  were  of  course  effected 
in  passages  of  this  sort.  The  invaluable  "post-ofl5ce" 
waterproof  bag  of  the  Jordan  cruise  is  the  last  improve- 
ment in  this  direction. 


170  A   ROMANTIC   LAD. 

of  the  lock-keepers'  time,  and  tlie  "pass"  was  a 
mere  form,  price  5d.,  it  was  but  reasonable  to  go 
unquestioned ;  and  besides,  this  "  carte "  could 
not  be  obtained  except  at  the  beginning  of  the 
whole  canal. 

After  a  time  the  route  suddenly  passed  into  the 
river  111,  a  long  dull  stream,  which  flows  through 
the  Yosges  into  the  Rhine.  This  stream  was  now 
quite  stagnant,  and  a  mere  collection  of  pools 
covered  by  thick  scum.  It  was  therefore  a  great 
comfort  to  have  only  a  short  voyage  upon  it. 
When  the  Bob  Boy  again  entered  the  canal,  an 
acquaintance  was  formed  with  a  fine  young  lad, 
who  was  reading  as  he  sauntered  along.  He  was 
reading  of  canoe  adventures  in  America,  and  so 
I  got  him  to  walk  some  miles  beside  me,  and 
to  help  the  boat  over  some  locks,  telling  him 
he  could  thus  see  how  different  actual  canoeing 
was  from  the  book  stories  about  it  made  up  of 
romance  !  He  was  pining  for  some  expansion 
of  his  sphere,  and  specially  for  foreign  travel,  and 
above  all  to  see  England. 

We  went  to  an  auherge,  where  I  treated  my 
friend  to  a  bottle  of  wine,  its  cost  being  twopence 
halfpenny.  After  he  left,  in  the  dark,  I  put  my 
boat  in  a  lock-keeper's  house,  and  his  son  led  me 
to  the  little  village  of  Illfurth,  a  most  unsophisti- 
cated place  indeed,  with  a  few  vineyards  on  a  hill 
behind  it,  though  the  railway  has  a  station  near. 
It  was  not  easy  to  mistake  which  was  the  best 
house  here  even  in  the  dark,  so  I  inquired  of 
Madame  at  "  The  White  Horse"  if  she  could  give 
me  a  bed.  "  Not  in  a  room  for  one  alone  ;  three 
others  will  be  sleeping  in  the  same  chamber.'^ 


AN   ODD    FISH.  171 

TMs  she  had  answered  after  glancing  at  my 
puny  package  and  travel-worn  dress,"^  but  her 
ideas  about  the  guest  were  enlarged  when  she 
heard  how  he  had  come,  and  so  she  managed  (they 
always  do  if  you  give  time  and  smiles  and  show 
sketches)  to  allot  me  a  nice  little  room  for  myself 
with  two  beds  of  the  hugest  size,  a  water-jug  most 
minute,  and  sheets  very  coarse  and  clean.  Another 
omelette  was  consumed  while  the  customary  visi- 
tors surrounded  the  benighted  traveller  ;  carters, 
porters,  all  of  them  with  courteous  manners,  and 
behaving  so  well  to  me  and  to  one  another,  and 
talking  such  good  sense,  as  to  make  me  feel  how 
different  from  this  is  the  noisy  taproom  of  a  road- 
side English  "  public." 

Two  fine  fellows  of  the  Gendarmerie  came  in 
for  their  penny  half  bottle  of  wine,  and  as  both  of 
them  had  been  in  the  Crimea  we  had  soon  a  most 
interesting  conversation.  This  was  conducted  in 
French,  but  the  people  here  usually  speak  a  patois 
utterly  impossible  for  any  fellow  to  comprehend. 
In  this  jargon  they  were  discussing  me  under 
various  conjectures,  and  they  settled  at  last  that  I 
must  be  rather  an  odd  fish,  but  certainly  "  a  gentle- 
man," and  probably  "noble."  They  were  most 
surprised  to  hear  that  I  meant  to  stop  all  the  next 
day  at  lUfurth,  simply  because  it  was  Sunday,  but 
they  did  not  fail  to  ask  for  my  passport,  which 
until  this  time  had  been  carried  all  the  way  with- 
out a  single  inquiry  on  the  subject.  The  sudden 
change  from  a  first-rate  hotel  this  morning  to  the 

*  Mem. — Go  thus  accoutred  when  you  wish  to  '*  shop" 
at  half-price. 


172  NIGHT   NOTES. 

roadside  inn  at  Illfurth.  was  more  entertaining  on 
account  of  its  variety  than  for  its  agreeables ; 
but  in  good  health  and  good  weather  one  can  put 
up  with  anything. 

The  utter  silence  of  peaceful  and  cool  night  in 
a  place  like  this  reigns  undisturbed  until  about 
four  o'clock  in  early  morn,  when  the  first  sound 
is  some  matutinal  cock,  who  crows  first  because  he 
is  proud  of  being  first  awake.  After  he  has  as- 
serted his  priority  thus  once  or  twice,  another 
deeper-toned  rooster  replies,  and  presently  a  dozen 
cocks  are  all  in  full  song,  and  in  different  keys. 
In  half  an  hour  you  hear  a  man's  voice ;  next, 
some  feminine  voluble  remarks  ;  then  a  latch  is 
moved  and  clicks,  the  dog  gives  a  morning  bark, 
and  a  horse  stamps  his  foot  in  the  stable  because 
the  flies  begin  to  breakfast  on  his  tender  skin.  At 
length  a  pig  grunts,  his  gastric  juice  is  fairly 
awake,  the  day  is  begun.  And  so  the  stream  of 
life,  thawed  from  its  sleep,  flows  gently  on  again, 
and  at  length  the  full  tide  of  village  business  is 
soon  in  agitation,  with  men's  faces  and  women's 
as  full  of  grave  import  as  if  this  French  Stoke 
Pogis  were  the  capital  of  the  world. 

While  the  inmates  prepare  for  early  mass,  and 
my  bowl  of  coffee  is  set  before  me,  there  are  four 
dogs,  eight  cats,  and  seven  canaries  (I  counted 
them)  all  looking  on,  moving,  twittering,  mewing, 
each  evidently  sensible  that  a  being  from  some 
other  land  is  present  among  them ;  and  as  these 
little  pets  look  with  doubtful  iu quiring  eyes  on 
the  stranger,  there  is  felt  more  strongly  by  him 
too,  "  Yes,  I  am  abroad." 

On  Sunday  I  had  a  quiet  rest,  and  walk,  and 


MADAME   NICO.  17S 

reading,  and  tlien  an  Englisliman,  who  had  come 
out  from  Mulhouse  to  fish,  dined  in  the  pleasant 
arbour  of  the  inn  with  his  family.  One  of  his 
girls  managed  to  fall  into  a  deep  pond  and  was 
nearly  drowned,  but  I  heard  her  cries,  and  we 
soon  put  her  to  rights.  This  Briton  himself 
spoke  with  quite  a  foreign  accent,  having  been  six 
years  in  France ;  but  his  Lancashire  dialect  re- 
appeared in  conversation,  and  he  said  he  had  just 
been  reading  about  the  canoe  in  a  Manchester 
paper.  His  children  had  gone  that  morning  to  a 
Sunday-school  before  they  came  out  by  railway  to 
fish  in  the  river  here ;  but  I  could  not  help  con- 
trasting their  rude  north  country  manners  with 
the  good  behaviour  of  the  little  "  lady  and  gentle- 
man," children  of  my  host.  One  of  these,  Phih- 
bert,  was  very  intelligent,  and  spent  an  hour  or 
two  with  me,  so  we  became  great  friends.  He 
asked  all  kinds  of  questions  about  England  and 
America^  and  was  delighted  to  receive  a  little  book 
with  a  picture  in  it,  to  read  it  to  his  father,  for  it 
contained  the  remarkable  conversation  between 
Napoleon  and  his  Marshal  at  St.  Helena  concern- 
ing the  Christian  religion,  a  paper  well  worth 
reading,  whoever  spoke  the  words. 

This  Sunday  being  an  annual  village  fete,  a 
band  played,  and  some  very  uncouth  couples 
waltzed  the  whole  day.  Large  flocks  of  sheep, 
following  their  shepherds,  wandered  over  the 
arid  soil.  The  poor  geese,  too,  were  flapping  their 
wings  in  vain  as  they  tried  to  swim  in  water  an 
inch  deep,  where  usually  there  had  been  some 
pleasant  pools  in  the  river.  I  sympathized  with 
the    geese,   for   I   missed    my    river    sadly   too. 


174  TEDIOUS. 

My  bill  here  for  two  nights,  with  plenty  to  eat 
and  drink,  amounted  to  five  shillings,  and  I  left 
good  Madame  Mco  with  some  regret,  starting 
again  on  the  canal,  which  looked  more  dull  and 
dirty  than  before.  After  one  or  two  locks  this 
sort  of  travelling  became  so  insufferable  that  I 
suddenly  determined  to  change  my  plans  entirely 
— for  is  not  one  free? 

A  few  moments  of  thought,  and  I  got  on  the  bank 
to  look  for  a  way  of  dehverance.  By  the  present 
route  several  days  would  be  consumed  in  going 
over  the  hills  over  a  series  of  tedious  locks  ;  and 
this  very  canal  had  been  already  traversed  by  the 
four-oar  boat  Waterwitch  some  years  ago.  Far  off 
could  be  seen  the  vine-clad  hills  of  the  Yosges, 
and  I  decided  at  once  to  leave  the  canal,  cross 
the  country  to  those  hills,  cart  the  canoe  over 
the  range,  and  so  reach  the  source  of  the  Moselle, 
and  thus  begin  to  paddle  on  quite  another  set  of 
rivers.  We  therefore  turned  the  prow  back,  went 
down  the  canal,  and  again  entered  the  river  111, 
but  soon  found  it  was  now  too  shallow  to  float 
even  my  canoe.  Once  more  I  retraced  my  way, 
ascending  the  locks,  and,  passing  by  lUfurth, 
went  on  to  reach  a  village  where  a  cart  could  be 
had.  Desperation  made  me  paddle  hard  even  in 
the  fierce  sun,  but  it  was  not  that  this  so  much 
troubled  me  as  the  humiliation  of  thus  rowing 
back  and  forward  for  miles  on  a  dirty,  stagnant 
canal,  and  passing  by  the  same  locks  two  or  three 
times,  with  the  fuU  conviction  that  the  people  who 
gazed  at  the  procedure  must  believe  me  not  only 
to  be  mad  (this  much  one  can  put  up  with),  but 
furiously  insane,  and  dangerous  to  be  at  large. 


STARED   AT.  175 

Kobody  likes  to  be  stared  at,  and  be  must  be 
bold  indeed  wbo  can  bear  the  sufferings  of  a 
martyr,  without  his  cause  or  his  glory.  Ah,  we 
are  getting  out  of  our  depth,  I  fear,  in  meta- 
physics, which  means,  you  know,  "When  ane 
maun  explains  till  anither  what  he  disna  under- 
staun  himsel,  that's  metapheesics." 

Well,  when  we  came  to  the  prescribed  village, 
named  Haidwiller,  they  had  plenty  of  carts,  but 
not  one  would  come  to  help  me  even  for  a  good 
round  sum.  It  was  their  first  day  with  the  grapes, 
and  "  ancient  customs  must  be  observed  "  ;  so  we 
went  on  still  further  to  another  village,  where  they 
were  letting  out  the  water  fron  the  canal  to  repair 
a  lock. 

Here  was  a  position  of  unenviable  repose  for 
poor  Rob  Roy  !  No  water  to  float  in,  and  no  cart 
to  carry  her.  To  aid  deliberation  I  attacked  a 
large  cake  of  hot  flour  baked  by  the  lock-keeper's 
dirty  wife,  and  we  stuck  plums  in  it  to  make  it  go 
down,  while  the  man  hied  off  to  the  fields  to  get 
some  animal  that  could  drag  a  clumsy  vehicle  — 
cart  is  too  fine  a  name  for  it — which  I  had 
impressed  from  a  ploughman  near. 

The  man  came  back  leading  a  gloomy-looking 
bullock,  and  we  started  with  the  boat  now  tra- 
velling on  wheels,  but  at  a  most  dignified  pace. 
Our  sketch  over  leaf  represents  the  lady  cow  which 
dragged  the  cart  at  Lauffenburg,  but  it  will  do 
almost  equally  well  for  the  present  equipage. 

This  was  the  arrangement  till  we  reached 
another  village,  which  had  no  vineyards,  and 
where  therefore  we  soon  found  a  horse,  instead  of 
the  gruff  bullock ;  while  the  natives  were  lost  in 


176 


THE    LADY    COW. 


"  The  Eob  Roy  on  wheels." 


amazement  to  see  a  boat  in  a  cart,  and  a  neutral 
tint  foreigner  gabbling  beside  it. 

The  sun  was  exceedingly  hot,  and  tbe  road  was 
dusty ;  but  tbe  walk  was  a  pleasant  change, 
though  my  driver  kept  muttering  to  himself  about 
my  preference  of  foot-pace  to  the  fearful  jolts  of 
his  cart. 

We  passed  thus  through  several  villages  on  a 
fine  fruitful  plain,  and  at  some  of  them  the  horse 
had  to  bait,  or  the  driver  to  lunch,  or  his  employer 
to  refresh  the  inner  man,  in  every  case  the  popu- 
lation being  favoured  with  an  account  by  the 
driver  of  all  he  knew  about  the  boat,  and  a  great 
deal  more.  At  one  of  the  inns  on  the  road  some 
new  wine  was  placed  on  the  table.     It  had  been 


NEW   WINE.  177 

made  only  the  day  before,  and  its  appearance  was 
exactly  like  tliat  of  cold  tea,  with  milk  and  sugar 
in  it,  while  its  taste  was  very  luscious  and  sweet. 
This  new  wine  is  sometimes  in  request,  but 
especially  among  the  women.  "  Corn  shall  make 
the  young  men  cheerful,  and  new  wine  the 
maids."     (Zech.  ix.  17.) 


N 


CHAPTEU  XII. 


Eiver  Thur— Fire!  Fire!— Over  the  Vosges— "Th"— 
Popisli  Pilgrims — Source  of  the  Moselle— Remiremont 
— Launched  on  the  Moselle — Lovely  Scenes  —  The 
Paddle  —  iSpell-bound — Washerwomen  —  Graceful  iSa- 
lute — Run  away  with — Policemen. 

The  little  flag  of  the  Rob  Roy,  which  was  always 
hoisted,  even  in  a  cart,  showed  signs  of  animation 
as  evening  came  on,  being  revived  by  a  fresh  cool 
breeze  from  the  beautiful  Yosges  mountains  when 
we  gradually  brought  their  outline  more  distinctly 
near.  Then  we  had  to  cross  the  river  Thur,  but 
that  was  an  easy  matter  in  these  scorching  days  of 
drought.  So  the  cavalcade  went  on  till  we  drove 
the  cart  into  the  pretty  town  of  Thann.  The 
driver  insisted  on  our  going  to  his  hotel,  but  I  saw 
at  once  it  could  not  be  the  best  in  a  town  of  this 
size  (for  experience  quickens  perception  in  these 
matters),  and  I  simply  took  the  reins,  backed  out 
of  the  yard,  and  drove  to  a  better  one. 

Here  the  hotel-keeper  had  read  of  the  Rob  Roy, 
so  it  was  received  with  all  the  honours,  and  the 
best  of  good  things  was  at  our  disposal.  In  the 
evening  I  burned  the  magnesium  lights  as  usual 
to  amuse  the  rustics,  who  came  in  great  crowds 
along  the  roads,  drav/ing  home  their  bullock-carts, 
loaded  with  large  vats  full  of  the  new  grapes,  and 


riRE  !  FIRE !  179 

singing  hoarsely  as  tliey  waved  flowers  and  gar- 
lands aloft,  and  danced  around  them — the  rude 
rejoicings  for  a  bounteous  vine  harvest.  It  is 
remarkable  how  soon  the  good  singing  of  Ger- 
many is  missed  when  you  cross  into  France, 
though  the  language  of  the  peasant  here  was 
German  enough. 

At  night  we  went  to  see  an  experiment  in  put- 
ting out  tires.  A  large  bonfire  was  lighted  in  the 
market-place,  and  the  inventor  of  the  new  apparatus 
came  forward,  carrying  on  his  back  a  vessel  full  of 
water,  under  the  pressure  of  "six  atmospheres" 
of  carbonic  acid  gas.  He  directed  this  on  the  fire 
from  a  small  squirt  at  the  end  of  a  tube,  and  it  was 
certainly  most  successful  in  immediately  extinguish- 
ing the  flames."*  This  gentleman  and  other  savants 
of  the  town  then  visited  the  boat,  and  the  usual 
entertainment  of  the  sketch-book  closed  a  pleasant 
day,  which  had  begun  with  every  appearance  of 
being  the  roA^erse. 

Although  this  is  a  busy  place,  I  foimd  only  one 
book-shop  in  it,  and  that  a  very  bad  one.  A  priest 
and  two  nuns  were  making  purchases  there,  and  I 
noticed  that  more  images  and  pictures  than  printed 
books  were  kept  for  sale. 

Next  morning  a  new  railroad  enabled  me  to 
take  the  canoe  a  little  further  into  the  hills;  but 
the  officials  fought  hard  to  make  her  go  separate, 
that  is,  in  a  "  merchandise  "  train,  though  I  said 
the  boat  was  "  my  wife,"  and  could  not  travel 
alone.     At  last  they  put  their  wise  heads  together, 

*  This  invention,  I'Extincteur,  has  since  become  well 
known  in  London,  and  it  seems  to  be  a  valuable  one. 

^  2 


180  OVER    THE    VOSGES. 

filled  up  ^Ye  separate  printed  forms,  charged 
double  fare,  and  the  whole  thing  cost  me  just 
ninepence.  Yerily,  the  French  are  still  overloaded 
with  forms,  and  are  still  in  the  straitwaistcoat  of 
systeme.  The  railway  winds  among  green  moun- 
tains, while  here  and  there  a  "  fabrik,"  or  factory, 
nestles  in  a  valley,  or  illumines  a  hill-side  at  night 
with  its  numerous  windows  lighted  up.  These  are 
the  chief  depots  of  that  wonderful  industry  of 
taste  which  spreads  the  shawls  and  scarfs  of 
France  before  the  eyes  of  an  admiring  world,  for 
ladies  to  covet,  and  for  their  husbands  to  buy.  It 
is  said  that  the  designs  for  patterns  here  cost  large 
sums,  as  if  they  were  the  oil  paintings  of  the  first 
masters,  and  that  three  times  as  much  is  paid  in 
France  for  cutting  one  pattern  in  wood  as  will  be 
given  by  an  English  manufacturer. 

At  Wesserling  we  managed  to  mount  the  E-ob 
Hoy  on  a  spring  vehicle,  and  we  set  off  gaily  up 
the  winding  road  that  passes  the  watershed  of  the 
Yosges  mountains.  I  never  had  a  more  charming 
drive.  For  six  hours  we  were  among  woods, 
vineyards,  bright  rivulets,  and  rich  pastures. 
Walking  up  a  hill,  we  overtook  a  carriage,  and 
found  one  of  the  occupants  was  an  Englishman. 
But  he  had  resided  in  France  for  more  than 
twenty  years,  so  really  one  could  scarcely  under- 
stand his  English.  He  spoke  of  "  dis  ting,"  and 
*^ve  vill  go,"  and  frequently  mingled  French  and 
German  words  with  his  native  tongue.  In  a 
newspaper  article  here  we  noticed  after  the  name 
*•  Matthews  "  the  editor  had  considerately  added, 
"pronounced  in  English,  Massious."  This  was 
well  enough  for  a  Frenchman,  but  it  was  difiicult 


"th."  181 

to  conceive  how  a  real  live  Briton  could  fail  in 
pronouncing  "  th."  When  he  found  out  my  name, 
he  grasped  my  hand,  and  said  how  deeply  interested 
he  had  been  in  a  pamphlet  written  by  one  of  the 
clan.* 

The  spring  carriage  had  been  chartered  as  an 
expensive  luxury  in  this  cheap  tour,  that  is  to  say, 
my  boat  and  myself  were  to  be  carried  about 
thirty-five  miles  in  a  comfortable  four-wheeled 
vehicle  for  twenty-six  francs — not  very  dear  when 
you  consider  that  it  saved  a  whole  day's  time  to 
me  and  a  whole  day's  jolting  to  the  canoe,  which 
seemed  to  enjoy  its  soft  bed  on  the  top  of  the 
cushion,  and  to  appreciate  very  well  the  conveni- 
ence of  springs.  After  a  good  hard  pull  up  a 
winding  road  we  got  to  the  top  of  the  pass  of  this 
"  little  Switzerland,"  as  it  is  called,  and  here  was 
a  tunnel  on  the  very  crest  of  the  watershed. 

The  arch  of  this  dark  tunnel  as  we  passed  through 
it  made  an  excellent  frame  to  a  magnificent  pic- 
ture; broad  France  lay  stretched  before  me. 
Every  stream  at  our  back  went  down  to  the  all- 
absorbing  Rhine,  but  those  in  front  would  wend 
their  various  ways,  some  to  the  Mediterranean, 
others  into  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  and  the  rest  into 
the  British  Channel.  A  thousand  peaks  and 
wooded  knolls  were  on  this  side  and  that,  while  a 
dim  panorama  of  five  or  six  villages  and  sunny 
plains  extended  in  front.  This  was  the  chain  of 
the  Yosges  mountains  and  their  pleasant  vales, 

*  The  Loss  of  the  Kent  East  Indiaman  by  Fire  in  the 
Bay  of  Biscay,  by  General  Sir  D.  MacGregor,  K.C  B. 
(Religious  Tract  Society,  Paternoster-row.)  See  a  further 
note  on  this  in  the  Appendix. 


182  POPISH    PILGRIMS. 

where  many  valorous  re  en  have  been  reared. 
The  most  noted  crusaders  came  from  this  district, 
and  from  here  too  the  first  of  the  two  great  Napo- 
leons drew  the  best  soldiers  of  his  army.^  Most 
of  the  community  are  Protestants. 

High  up  on  our  left  is  a  pilgrim  station,  where 
thousands  of  people  come  year  by  year,  and  pro- 
bably they  get  fresh  air  and  useful  exercise.  The 
French  seem  to  walk  farther  for  superstitious 
purposes  than  for  exercise  or  amusement. f 

Our  English  friend  now  got  into  my  carriage, 
and  we  drove  a  little  way  from  the  road  to  the 
village  of  Bussang  to  see  the  source  of  the  Moselle. 
This  beautiful  river  rises  under  the  "Ballon 
d' Alsace,"  a  lofty  mountain  with  a  rounded  top, 
and  the  stream  consists  at  first  of  four  or  five  very 

*  The  giant  called  "  Anak."  wlio  was  lately  exhibited 
in  London,  came  from  the  Yosges  mountains. 

t  Among  other  celebrated  French  "stations"  there  is 
the  mountain  of  La  Salette,  near  Grenoble,  where,  even  in 
one  day,  16,000  pilgrims  have  ascended  to  visit  the  spot 
where  the  Virgin  Mary  was  said  to  have  spoken  to  some 
shepherds.  On  the  occasion  of  my  pilgrimage  there  I  met 
some  donkeys  with  panniers  bringing  down  holy  water  (in 
lemonade  bottles)  which  was  sold  throughout  Europe  for  a 
shilling  a  bottle,  until  a  priest  at  the  bottom  of  the  moun- 
tain started  a  private  pump  of  his  own.  The  woman  who 
had  been  hired  to  personate  the  Holy  Saint  confessed  the 
deception,  and  it  was  exploded  before  the  courts  of  law  in 
a  report  which  I  read  on  the  spot  ;  but  the  Roman  Catholic 
papers,  even  in  England,  published  attractive  articles  to 
support  this  flagrant  imposture,  and  its  truth  and  good- 
ness were  vehemently  proclaimed  in  a  book  by  the  Romish 
Bishop  of  Birmingham,  with  the  assent  of  the  Pope. 

Methinks  it  is  easier  to  march  barefoot  100  miles  over 
sharp  stones  than  to  plod  a  true  and  honest  walk  of  life  on 
common  pavement  and  with  strong  soled  boots. 


SOURCE    OF    THE    MOSELLE.  183 

tiny  trickling  rivulets  which  unite  and  come  forth 
in  a  little  spring  well  about  the  size  of  a  washing- 
tub,  from  which  the  water  flows  across  the  road 
in  a  channel  that  you  can  bridge  with  your 
fingers.  But  this  bubbling  brook  had  great 
interest  for  me,  as  I  meant  to  follow  its  growth 
until  it  would  be  strong  enough  to  bear  me  on  its 
cool,  clear  water,  which  as  yet  was  only  like 
feathers  strewed  among  the  grass,  and  singing  its 
first  music  very  pretty  and  low. 

We  like  to  see  the  source  of  a  great  river ;  a 
romantic  man  must  have  much  piquant  thought  at 
the  sight,  and  a  poetic  man  must  be  stirred  by  its 
sentiment.  Every  great  thought  must  also  have 
had  a  source  or  germ,  and  it  would  be  interesting 
to  know  how  and  when  some  of  the  grand  ideas 
that  have  afterwards  aroused  nations  first  thrilled 
in  the  brain  of  a  genius,  a  warrior,  a  philosopher, 
or  a  statesman.  And  besides  having  a  source, 
each  stream  of  thought  had  a  current  too,  with 
ripples  and  deep  pools,  and  scenery,  as  it  were, 
around.  Some  thoughts  are  lofty,  others  broad ; 
some  are  straight,  and  others  round  about ;  some 
are  rushing,  while  others  glide ;  only  a  few  are 
both  clear  and  deep. 

But  we  are  not  to  launch  upon  fancy's  dreams, 
or  to  linger  among  the  pretty  valleys  in  the 
Yosges ;  and  we  go  through  these  to  find  real 
water  for  the  Rob  Roy,  and  in  this  search  we  keep 
descending  every  hour.  When  the  bright  stars 
came  out  they  glittered  below  thick  trees  in  pools 
of  the  water  now  so  quickly  become  a  veritable 
river,  and  I  scanned  each  lagoon  in  the  darkness 
to  know  if  it  was  still  too  small  for  the  boat. 


184  REMIREMONT. 

At  Eemiremont  there  was  a  bad  sort  of  inn, 
where  all  was  disorder  and  dirt.  The  driver  sat 
down  with  me  to  a  late  supper,  and  behaved  with 
true  French  politeness,  which  always  shows  better 
in  company  than  in  private,  or  when  real  self- 
denial  or  firm  friendship  is  to  be  tested.  So  he 
ate  of  his  five  different  courses,  and  had  his  wine, 
fruit,  and  neat  little  etceteras,  and  my  bill  next  day 
for  our  united  entertainment  and  lodging  was  just 
3s.  4:d.  This  cocher  was  an  intelligent  man,  and 
conversed  on  his  own  range  of  subjects  with  con- 
siderable tact,  and  when  our  conversation  was 
turned  upon  the  greater  things  of  another  world 
he  said,  "  They  must  be  happy  there,  for  none  of 
them  have  ever  come  back  " — a  strange  thought, 
oddly  phrased.  As  he  became  interested  in  the 
subject,  I  gave  him  a  paper  upon  it,  which  he  at 
once  commenced  to  read  aloud. ^ 

J^ext  morning,  the  20th  of  September,  the  Eob 
Roy  was  brought  to  the  door  in  a  handcart,  and 
was  soon  attended  by  its  usual  levee ;  but  as  we 
had  come  into  the  town  late  af  night  the  gazers 
were  ignorant  of  any  claims  this  canoe  might  have 
upon  their  respect,  and  some  of  them  derided  the 

♦  Some  days  previously  a  stranger  gave  me  a  bundle  of 
papers  to  read,  for  which  I  thanked  him  much.  After- 
wards at  leisure  I  examined  the  packet,  which  consisted  of 
about  thirty  large  pages  sewn  together,  and  comprising 
tracts  upon  politics,  science,  literature,  and  religion.  The 
last  subject  was  prominent,  and  was  dealt  with  in  a 
style  clever,  caustic,  and  censorious,  which  interested  me 
much.  These  tracts  were  printed  in  England  and  with 
good  paper  and  type.  They  are  a  weekly  series,  distributed 
everywhere  at  six  shillings  a  dozen,  and  each  page  is  en- 
titled "  The  Saturday  Review." 


LAUNCHED    ON   THE    MOSELLE.  185 

idea  of  its  being  able  to  float  on  the  river  here,  or 
at  any  rate  to  go  more  than  a  mile  or  two. 
Having  previously  taken  a  long  walk  before 
breakfast  to  examine  the  Moselle,  I  was  convinced 
that  it  could  be  begun  even  here  and  in  this  dry 
season.  The  porter  was  therefore  ordered  to  ad- 
vance, and  the  boat  moved  towards  the  river  amid 
plaudits  rather  ambiguous,  until  a  curious  old 
gentleman,  with  green  spectacles  and  a  white  hat, 
kindly  brought  the  sceptical  mob  to  their  senses 
by  telling  them  that  he  had  read  often  about  the 
boat,  and  they  must  not  make  fun  of  it  now. 

Then  they  all  chopped  round  and  changed  their 
minds  in  a  moment — the  fickle  French — and  they 
helped  me  with  a  will,  and  carried  the  Rob  Roy 
about  a  mile  to  the  spot  fixed  upon  for  the  start, 
which  was  speedily  executed,  with  a  loud  and 
warm  "  Adieu  !  "  and  ""  Bon  voyage  !  "  from  all. 

It  was  pleasant  again  to  grasp  the  paddle  and 
to  find  clear  water  below,  which  we  had  not  seen 
since  the  Danube,  also  a  steady  current,  that  was 
so  much  missed  on  the  sluggish  river  111  and  the 
Basel  Canal.  Pretty  water  flowers  quivered  in 
the  ripples  round  the  mossy  stones,  and  park-like 
meadows  sloped  to  the  river  with  fruit  trees 
heavy  laden.  After  half  an  hour  of  congratula- 
tion that  we  had  come  to  the  Moselle  rather  than 
the  Saone  and  the  Doubs,  I  settled  down  to  my 
work  with  gladness. 

The  water  of  this  river  was  very  clear  and  cool, 
meandering  through  long  deep  pools,  and  then 
over  gurgling  shallows ;  and  the  fish,  waterfowl, 
woods,  and  lovely  green  fields  were  a  most  wel- 
come change  from  the  canal  we  had  left.     The 


186  LOVELY   SCENES. 

sun  was  intensely  hot,  but  the  spare  jib,  as  a 
shawl  on  my  shoulders  defied  its  fierce  rays,  and 
so  we  glided  along  in  solitary  enjoyment.  The 
numerous  shallows  required  much  activity  with 
the  paddle,  and  the  Rob  Eoy  had  more  bumps  and 
thumps  to-day  than  in  any  other  day  of  the  cruise. 
Of  course  I  had  often  to  get  out  and  to  tow  her 
through  the  water  ;  sometimes  through  the  fields, 
or  over  rocks,  but  this  was  easily  done  with  can- 
vas shoes  on,  and  flannel  trousers  made  for  con- 
stant ducking. 

The  aspect  of  the  river  had  an  unusual  cha- 
racter for  several  miles,  with  low  banks  sloping 
backwards,  and  richly  carpeted  with  grass,  so  that 
the  view  on  either  side  was  ample  ;  while  in  front 
was  a  spacious  picture  of  successive  levels,  seen  to 
great  advantage  as  the  Eob  Eoy  glided  smoothly 
on  crystal  waters  lipped  with  green.  Again  the 
playful  river  descends  by  sudden  leaps  and  deep 
falls,  chiefly  artificial,  and  some  trouble  is  caused 
in  getting  down  each  of  these,  for  the  boat  had  to 
be  lowered  by  hand,  with  a  good  deal  of  gymnastic 
exercise  among  the  slippery  rocks,  which  were 
mantled  by  mosses  and  lichens  that  were  studied 
in  anything  but  botanical  order. 

The  paddle  now  felt  so  natural  in  my  hands 
from  long  use  of  it  every  day,  that  it  was  held 
unconsciously.  In  the  beginning  of  my  practice 
various  tethers  and  ties  were  invented  to  secure 
this  all-important  piece  of  furniture  from  being 
lost  if  it  should  fall  overboard,  and  I  had  practised 
what  ought  to  be  done  if  the  paddle  should  ever 
be  beaten  out  of  my  hand  by  a  wave,  or  dropped 
into  the  water  in  a  moment  of  carelessness.     But 


THE    PADDLE.  187 

none  of  these  plans  were  satisfactory  in  actual 
service.  The  strings  got  entangled  when  I 
jumped  out  suddenly,  or  I  forgot  the  thing  was 
tied  when  it  had  to  be  thrown  out  on  the  shore, 
so  it  was  better  to  have  the  paddle  perfectly  loose ; 
and  thus  free,  it  never  was  dropped,  even  in  those 
times  of  confusion  when  twenty  things  had  to  be 
done,  and  each  to  be  done  first,  when  an  upset 
was  imminent,  and  a  jump  out  had  to  be  managed 
instead.* 

The  movement  of  the  paddle,  then,  became  in- 
voluntary, just  as  the  legs  are  moved  in  walking, 
and  the  ordinary  difficulties  of  a  river  seemed  to 
be  understood  by  the  mind  without  special  obser- 
vation, and  to  be  dealt  with  naturally,  without 
hesitation  or  reasoning  as  to  what  ought  to  be 
done.  This  faculty  increased  until  long  gazes 
upwards  to  the  higher  grounds  or  to  the  clouds 
above  were  fully  indulged  without  apparently  in- 
terrupting the  steady  and  proper  navigation  of 
the  boat,  even  when  it  was  moving  with  speed. 

On  one  of  these  occasions  I  had  got  into  a  train 
of  thought  on  this  subject,  and  was  regretting  that 
the  course  of  the  stream  made  me  turn  my  back 

*  After  three  more  voyages  with  precisely  the  same  re- 
sult, it  may  be  stated  that  a  spare  paddle,  so  often  recom- 
mended, would  be  quite  superfluous.  The  bamboo  mast 
was  meant  originally  to  serve  also  as  a  boat-hook  or 
hitcher,  and  had  a  ferrule  and  a  fishing  gaff  neatly  fastened 
on  the  end  which  went  into  the  mast  step.  I  recollect 
having  used  the  bout-hook  07ice  at  Gravesend,  but  it  was 
instantly  seen  to  be  a  mistake.  You  don't  want  a  boat- 
hook  when  your  canoe  can  come  close  alongside  where  it 
is  deep,  and  will  ground  when  it  is  shallow.  Besides,  to 
use  a  boat-hook  you  must  drop  the  paddle. 


188  SPELL-BOUND. 

on  the  best  scenery.  I  had  spun  round  two  or 
three  times  to  feast  my  eyes  upon  some  glowing 
peaks,  lit  up  by  the  setting  sun,  until  a  sort  of 
fascination  seized  the  mind,  and  a  quiet  lethargy 
crept  over  the  system;  and,  moreover,  a  most 
illogical  persuasion  then  settled  that  the  boat  always 
did  go  right,  and  that  one  need  not  be  so  much  on 
the  alert  to  steer  well.  This  notion  still  held  me 
as  we  came  into  a  cluster  of  a  dozen  rocks  all 
dotted  about,  and  with  the  stream  welling  over 
this  one  and  rushing  over  that,  and  yet  I  was 
spellbound  and  doggedly  did  nothing  to  guide  the 
boat's  course.  But  the  water  was  avenged  on  this 
foolish  defiance  of  its  power,  for  in  a  moment  I 
was  driven  straight  on  a  great  rock,  only  two 
inches  below  the  surface,  and  the  boat  at  once 
swung  round,  broadside  on  to  the  current,  and 
then  slowly  but  determinedly  began  to  turn  over. 
As  it  canted  more  and  more  my  lax  muscles  were 
rudely  aroused  to  action,  for  the  plain  fact  stared 
out  baldly  that  this  stupid,  lazy  fit  would  end  in 
a  regular  ducking. 

The  worst  of  it  was  I  was  not  sitting  erect,  but 
stretched  almost  at  full  length  in  the  boat,  and 
one  leg  was  entangled  inside  by  the  strap  of  my 
bag.  In  the  moments  following  (that  seem 
minutes  in  such  a  case)  a  gush  of  thoughts  went 
through  the  mind  while  the  poor  little  boat  was 
still  turning  over,  until  at  last  I  gave  a  spring 
from  my  awkward  position  to  jump  into  the  water. 
The  jerk  released  the  canoe  from  the  rock,  but 
only  the  head  and  arms  of  its  captain  fell  into  the 
river — though  in  a  most  undignified  pose,  which 
was  soon  laughed  off,  when  my  seat  was  recovered, 


WASHERWOMEN. 


189 


with  a  wet  wig  and  dripping  sleeves,  which  soon 
quite  wakened  and  sobered  me.  So  it  was  well  to 
have  done  with  sentiment  and  reveries,  for  the 
river  was  now  quite  in  earnest  about  going 
along. 

Permit  me  again  to  invite  attention  to  the 
washerwomen ;  for  this  institution,  which  one  does 
not  find  thus  floating  on  our  streams  in  England, 
becomes  a  very  frequent  object  of  interest  if  you 
canoe  it  on  the  Continent. 


"Washing  Barge." 


As  the  well  in  Eastern  countries  is  the  recog- 
nised place  for  gossiping,  and  in  colder  climes  a 
good  deal  of  politics  is  settled  in  the  barber's  shop, 
so  here  in  fluvial  districts  the  washing-barge  is 
the  forum  of  feminine  eloquence. 


190  GRACEFUL    SALUTE. 

The  respectability  of  a  town  as  you  approacli  it 
is  shadowed  forth  by  the  size  and  ornaments  of  the 
blancMseusses'  float ;  and  as  there  are  often  fifty 
faces  seen  at  once,  the  type  of  female  loveliness 
may  be  studied  for  a  district  at  a  time.  While 
they  wash  they  talk,  and  while  they  talk  they 
thump  and  belabour  the  clothes ;  but  there  is 
always  some  idle  eye  wandering  which  speedily 
will  catch  sight  of  the  Rob  Roy  canoe. 

In  smaller  villages,  and  where  there  is  no  barge 
for  them  to  use,  the  women  have  to  do  without  one, 
and  they  kneel  on  the  ground,  so  that  even  in  far- 
off  parts  of  the  river  we  are  sure  to  find  them.  A 
flat  sounding  whack !  whack  !  tells  that  round  the 
corner  we  shall  come  upon  at  least  a  couple  of 
washerwomen,  homely  dames,  with  brown  faces 
and  tall  caps,  who  are  wringing,  slapping,  and 
scrubbing  the  "linge."  Though  this  may  en- 
courage the  French  cotton  trade,  I  rejoice  that 
my  own  shirts  are  of  strong  woollen  stuff,  which 
defies  their  buffeting. 

I  always  fraternised  with  these  ladies,  dofiing 
my  hat,  and  drawing  back  my  left  foot  for  a  bow, 
though  the  graceful  action  was  not  observed 
under  the  macintosh.  Other  travellers,  also,  may 
find  there  is  something  to  be  seen  and  heard  if 
they  pass  five  minutes  at  the  washing-barge.  But 
even  if  it  were  not  instructive  and  amusing  thus 
to  study  character  when  a  whole  group  is  met  with 
at  once,  surely  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  a  new  sight  and  of  hearing  a 
foreigner  speak  cheerful  and  kind  words,  is  to 
many  of  these  hard-working,  honest  mothers  a 
bright  interlude  in  a  life  of  toil.     To  give  pleasure 


RUN    AWAY   WITH.  191 

is  one  of  the  best  pleasures  of  a  tourist ;  and  it  is 
in  acting  thus  that  the  lone  traveller  feels  no  lone- 
liness, while  he  pleases  and  is  pleased.  Two 
Englishmen  may  travel  together  agreeably  among 
foreigners  for  a  week  without  learning  so  much  of 
the  life,  and  mind,  and  manners  of  the  people  as 
will  be  learned  in  one  day  if  each  of  the  tourists 
goes  alone,  provided  he  is  not  too  shy  or  too  proud 
to  open  his  eyes,  and  ears,  and  mouth  among 
strangers,  and  if  he  has  sense  enough  to  be  an 
exception  to  the  rule  that  "  Every  Englishman  is 
an  island." 

Merely  for  a  change,  I  now  ran  the  Rob  Roy 
into  a  long  mUlrace  in  search  of  breakfast.  This 
stream  having  secured  hold  of  the  boat  soon  ran 
away  with  us  stealthilj^  in  a  winding  course  among 
the  hayfields,  and  quite  out  of  reach  of  the  river, 
until  it  seemed  that  after  all  we  were  only  in 
a  streamlet  for  irrigation,  which  would  vanish 
into  rills  an  inch  deep  in  a  meadow.  However,  I 
put  a  bold  face  on  it,  and  gravely  and  swiftly  sped 
through  the  fields,  and  bestowed  a  nod  now  and 
then  on  the  rural  gazers.  A  fine  boy  of  twelve 
years  old  soon  trotted  alongside,  and  I  asked  him 
if  he  was  "  an  honest  lad,^'  which  he  answered  by 
a  blush,  and  "  Yes."  "  Here  is  a  franc,  then. 
Go  and  buy  me  bread  and  wine,  and  meet  me  at 
the  mill." 

A  few  of  the  mill  hands  soon  found  out  the 
canoe,  which  was  moored,  as  I  had  thought,  in 
quiet  retirement,  with  its  captain  resting  under  a 
tree,  and  presently  a  whole  crowd  of  them 
swarmed  out,  and  shouted  with  delight  as  they 
pressed  round  to  see.     The  boy  brought  a  very 


192  POLICEMEN. 

large  bottle  of  wine,  and  a  loaf  big  enough  to  dine 
four  men ;  and  I  set  to  work  with  a  canoeist's 
appetite,  and  that  happy  sang  froid  which,  no  mul- 
titude of  gazers  now  could  disturb.  Presently, 
one  of  the  party  invited  me  into  her  house,  and 
soon  set  delicate  viands  before  the  new  guest, 
while  the  others  filled  the  room  in  an  instant,  and 
they  were  replaced  by  sets  of  fifty  at  a  time,  all 
very  good  humoured  and  respectful. 

But  it  was  so  hot  and  bustling  here  that  I  re- 
solved to  go  away  and  have  a  more  pleasant  and 
sulky  meal  by  myself  on  some  inaccessible  island. 
The  retreat  through  the  crowd  had  to  be  regularly 
prepared  for  by  military  tactics ;  so  I  appointed 
four  of  the  most  troublesome  boys  as  "  policemen  " 
to  guard  the  boat  in  its  transit  across  the  fields, 
but  they  discharged  their  new  duties  with  such 
vigour  that  two  httle  fellows  were  soon  knocked 
over  into  the  canoe,  and  so  we  launched  ojff,  while 
the  manager  of  the  factory  called  in  vain  to  his 
cotton-spinners,  who  were  all  now  in  full  cry  after 
the  boat,  and  were  taking  a  holiday  without  leave. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


River  Moselle — The  Tramp  —Battery  of  Blessings — 
Halcyon — Painted  Woman — Sad  Loss — Very  Shabby 
— In  a  Hedge  —  A  Discovery  —  River  Meurthe — 
Flirting — Ducks — A  Moving  House-^-A  Mother's 
Tears— Night  Frolic— Salt  Mine— Work  for  the 
Young. 

Under  an  arcli  of  dark  foliage,  where  the  water 
was  deep  and  still,  I  moored  to  the  long  grass, 
cast  my  tired  limbs  into  the  fantastic  folds  of  ease, 
and,  while  the  bottle  lasted  and  the  bread,  I 
watched  the  bees  and  butterflies,  and  the 
beetles  and  the  rats,  and  the  coloured  tribes  of 
airy  and  watery  life  that  one  can  see  so  well  in  a 
quiet  half-hour  like  this. 

How  little  we  are  taught  at  school  about  these 
wondrous  communities,  each  with  its  laws  and 
instincts,  its  beauties  of  form,  and  marvellous  in- 
genuities !  How  little  of  flowers  and  insects,  or 
of  trees  and  animals,  a  boy  learns  as  school-lessons, 
while  he  has  beaten  into  him  at  one  end,  and 
crammed  in  at  the  other,  the  complicated  politics 
of  heathen  gods,  and  their  impossible  loves  and 
faction  fights. 

The  Moselle  now  rapidly  enlarged  in  volume, 
though  one  could  easily  see  that  its  stream  had 
seldom  been  so  low  before.  It  is  a  very  beautiful 
river  to  row  on,  especially  in  the  higher  waters. 
Then  it  winds  to  the  west  and  north,  and  again, 

o 


194  THE    TRAMP. 

turning  a  little  eastwards,  it  traverses  a  lovely- 
country  between  Treves  and  Coblentz  to  join  the 
ancient  Rhine. 

My  resting-place  this  evening  was  at  Epinal,  a 
town  with  little  to  interest ;  and  so  we  could  turn 
to  books  and  pencils  until  it  was  time  for  bed. 
Next  morning  the  scenery  was  by  no  means  at- 
tractive, but  there  was  plenty  of  hard  work,  which 
was  enjoyed  very  much,  my  shoes  and  socks  being 
off  all  day,  for  it  was  useless  to  put  them  on  when 
so  many  occasions  required  me  to  jump  out.  Here 
it  was  a  plain  country,  with  a  gravel  soil,  and  fast 
rushings  of  current ;  and  then  long  pools  like  the 
Serpentine,  and  winding  turns  leading  entirely 
round  some  central  hill  which  the  river  insisted 
upon  circumventing. 

At  noon  we  came  upon  a  large  number  of 
labourers  at  work  on  a  milldam,  and  as  this  sort 
of  crowd  generally  betokens  something  to  eat 
(always,  at  any  rate,  some  drinkable  fluid),  I  left 
my  boat  boldly  in  mid- stream,  and  knocked  at  a 
cottage,  when  an  old  woman  came  out. 

"  Madame,  I  am  hungry,  and  you  are  precisely 
the  lady  who  can  make  me  an  omelette." 

"  Sir,  I  have  nothing  to  give  you." 

"  Why,"  said  I,  "  look  at  these  hens ;  I  am  sure 
they  have  laid  six  eggs  this  morning,  they  seem 
so  conceited." 

She  evidently  thought  I  was  a  tramp  demanding 
alms,  and  when  told  to  look  at  the  boat  which  had 
come  from  England,  she  said  she  was  too  old  and 
too  blind  to  see.  However,  we  managed  to  make 
an  omelette  together,  and  she  stood  by  (with  an 
eye,   perhaps,   to    her   only    fork)    and    chatted 


BATTERY  OF   BLESSINGS.  195 

pleasantly,  asking,  "What  have  you  got  to  sell  ?'' 
I  told  her  I  had  come  there  only  for  pleasure. 
"What  sort  of  pleasure.  Monsieur,  can  you  pos- 
sibly hope  to  find  in  this  place  ?  "  But  I  was  far 
too  gallant  to  say  bluntly  that  her  particular  man- 
sion was  not  the  ultimate  object  of  the  tour. 
After  receiving  a  franc  for  the  rough  breakfast, 
she  kept  up  a  battery  of  blessings  till  the  Rob 
Roy  started,  and  she  ended  by  shrieking  out  to  a 
navvy  looking  on,  "  I  tell  you  every  Englishman 
is  rich !" 

Next  day  was  bright  and  blue-skyed  as  before, 
and  an  early  start  found  the  fresh  morning  air  on 
the  river.  Its  name  is  sometimes  pronounced 
"  Moselle,"  and  at  other  times  "  Mosel,'"  what  we 
should  call  "  Mozle."  When  a  Frenchman  speaks 
of  "la  Moselle,'^  he  puts  an  equal  emphasis  on 
each  of  the  three  syllables  he  is  pronouncing; 
whereas  generally  we  Englishmen  call  this  river 
Moselle.  The  name  of  a  long  river  often  goes 
through  changes  as  it  traverses  various  districts 
and  dialects ;  for  instance,  the  Missouri,  which 
you  hear  the  travellers  in  Kansas  call  "  Mzoory," 
while  they  wend  along  the  Californian  road. 

When  the  scenery  is  tame  to  the  canoeist,  and 
the  channel  of  the  river  is  not  made  interesting 
by  dangers  to  be  avoided,  then  he  can  always  turn 
again  to  the  animals  and  birds,  and  in  five  minutes 
of  watching  he  will  surely  see  much  to  please. 
Here,  for  instance,  we  have  the  Kttle  kingfisher 
again,  who  had  met  us  on  the  Danube  and  the  E-euss, 
and  whom  we  all  know  well  in  England  ;  but 
now  we  are  on  a  visit  to  Ms  domain,  and  we  see 
him  in  private  alone.     There  are  several  varieties 

o  2 


196  HALCYON. 

of  tliis  bird,  and  they  differ  in  form  and  colour  of 
plumage.  This  "  Iloyal  bird,"  the  Halcyon  of 
antiquity,  the  Alcedo  in  classic  tongue,  is  called  in 
German  "Eisvogal,''  or  "Ice  bird,"  perhaps  be- 
cause he  fishes  even  in  winter's  frost,  or  because 
Ms  nest  is  like  a  bundle  of  icicles,  being  made  of 
minnows'  bones  most  curiously  wrought  together. 

But  now  it  is  on  a  summer  day,  and  he  is 
perched  on  a  twig  within  two  inches  of  the  water, 
and  under  the  shade  of  a  briar  leaf,  his  little 
parasol.  He  is  looking  for  fish,  and  is  so  steady 
that  you  may  easily  pass  him  without  observing 
that  brilliant  back  of  azure,  or  the  breast  of  blush- 
ing red. 

When  I  desire  to  see  these  birds,  I  quietly  move 
my  boat  till  it  grounds  on  a  bank,  and  after  it  is 
stationary  thus  for  a  few  minutes,  the  Halcyon 
fisher  becomes  quite  unconcerned,  and  plies  his 
pretty  pranks  as  if  unseen.  He  peers  with  know- 
ing eye  into  the  shallow  below  him,  and  now  and 
then  he  dips  his  head  a  bit  to  make  quite  sure  he 
has  marked  a  fish  worth  seizing  ;  then  suddenly 
he  darts  down  with  a  spluttering  splash,  and  flies 
off  with  a  little  white  minnow,  or  a  struggling 
sticklebat  nipped  in  his  beak.  If  it  is  caught  thus 
crosswise,  the  winged  fisherman  tosses  his  prey 
into  the  air,  and  nimbly  catches  it  in.  his  mouth, 
so  that  it  may  be  gulped  down  properly.  Then  he 
quivers  and  shakes  with  satisfaction,  and  quickly 
speeds  him  to  another  perch,  flitting  by  you  with 
wonderful  swiftness,  as  if  a  sapphire  had  been 
flung  athwart  the  sunbeam,  flashing  beauteous 
colours  in  its  flight. 

Or,  if  bed-time  has  come,  or  he  is  fetching  home 


PAINTED    WOMAN.  197 

the  family  dinner,  lie  flutters  on  and  on,  and  then 
with  a  little  sharp  note  of  "  good-bye"  he  pops 
into  a  hole,  the  dark  staircase  to  his  tiny  nest,  and 
there  he  finds  Mrs.  Halcyon  sitting  in  state,  and 
thirteen  baby  Kingfishers  gaping  for  the  dainty 
fish.  This  pretty  bird  has  an  air  of  quaint  mystery, 
soft  beauty,  and  vivid  motion,  all  combined,  which 
has  made  him  a  favourite  with  the  Rob  Roy,  and 
often  we  have  paddled  beside  him  on  the  deep 
jungle  banks  of  Jordan. 

Strangely  enough,  the  Moselle  in  this  part  of 
its  course  actually  gets  less  and  less  as  you  descend 
it.  Every  few  miles  some  of  the  water  is  drawn 
off  by  a  small  canal  to  irrigate  the  neighbouring 
land,  and  in  a  season  of  drought  like  this  very 
little  of  the  abstracted  part  returns.  They  told 
me  that  the  river  never  has  been  so  "  basse  "  for 
30  years,  and  I  was  therefore  an  unlucky  voijageur 
in  having  to  do  for  the  first  time  what  could  have 
been  done  more  easily  in  any  other  season. 

As  evening  fell  we  reached  the  town  of  Chatel, 
and  the  Rob  Roy  was  sent  to  bed  in  the  wash- 
house  of  the  hotel.  But  five  minutes  had  not 
elapsed  before  a  string  of  visitors  came  for  the 
usual  inspection  of  the  boat.  While  I  sauntered 
along  the  bridge  a  sprightly  yonth  came  up,  who 
had  not  seen  the  canoe,  but  who  knew  I  was  "  one 
of  her  crew."  He  was  most  enthusiastic  on  the 
subject,  and  took  me  to  see  his  boat,  a  ghastly- 
looking  flat-bottomed  open  cot,  painted  all  manner 
of  patterns ;  and  as  he  was  extremely  proud  of 
her,  I  did  not  tell  him  that  a  boat  is  like  a  woman, 
too  good  for  paint,  which  spoils  a  pretty  one,  and 
makes  a  plain  one  hideous. 


198  SAD    LOSS. 

Then  lie  came  for  a  look  at  tlie  Rob  Roy,  and, 
poor  fellow,  it  was  amusing  to  observe  bow  in- 
stantly bis  countenance  fell  from  pride  to  envy. 
He  bad  a  ^'boating  mind,"  but  be  bad  never  seen 
a  really  pretty  boat  till  now.  However,  to  console 
bimself  be  invited  me  to  anotber  botel  to  drink 
success  to  tbe  canoe  in  Bavarian  beer,  and  to  see 
my  drawings,  and  tben  I  found  tbat  my  intelli- 
gent, eager,  and,  we  may  add,  gentlemanly  friend 
was  tbe  waiter  tbere  ! 

A  melancboly  sensation  pervaded  tbe  Rob  Roy 
to-day,  in  consequence  of  a  sad  event,  tbe  loss  of 
tbe  captain's  knife.  We  bad  tbree  knives  on 
board  in  starting  from  England  :  one  bad  been 
already  given  away  in  reward  for  some  signal  ser- 
vice, another  was  lost,  and  no  wonder — in  so  many 
leaps  and  somersaults,  and  with  such  constant 
requirements  for  tbe  knife  to  mend  pencils,  &c., 
&c.  But  we  suggest  to  tbe  next  canoeman  that 
bis  boat  knife  should  be  secured  to  a  lanyard. 

A  singular  conformation  of  tbe  river-bed  was 
observed  upon  this  part  of  tbe  Moselle.  Without 
much  warning  the  banks  of  rock  became  quite 
vertical  and  narrowed  close  together.  They  re- 
minded me  of  the  rock-cutting  near  Liverpool, 
on  tbe  old  railway  to  Manchester.  Tbe  stream 
tbere  was  very  deep,  but  its  bed  was  full  of 
enormous  stones  and  crags,  very  sharp  and  jagged, 
which,  however,  could  be  easily  avoided,  because 
tbe  current  was  gentle. 

A  man  I  found  fishing  told  me  that  a  little 
further  on  there  was  an  "  impossible  "  place,  so 
when  after  half  a  mile  the  well-known  sound  of 
rushing  waters    came,  we  beat   to  quarters  and 


VERY   SHABBY.  199 

prepared  for  action.  The  ribbon  to  keep  my  bat 
was  tied  down.  Sleeves  and  trousers  were  tucked 
up.  The  apron  was  braced  tight  and  the  baggage 
secured  below ;  and  then  came  the  eager  pleasures 
of  wishing,  hoping,  expecting,  fearing — those 
mingled  elements  of  what  we  call  "  excitement." 

Yery  soon  the  river  itself  took  a  very  strange 
form.  If  you  suppose  a  trench  cut  along  Oxford- 
street  to  get  at  the  gas-pipes,  and  if  all  the  water  of 
a  river  which  had  filled  the  street  before  were  to 
suddenly  disappear  in  the  trench,  that  would  be 
exactly  what  the  Moselle  had  become. 

The  plateau  of  rock  on  each  side  was  perfectly 
dry,  though  in  flood  times,  no  doubt,  the  river 
covers  that  too.  The  river  boiled  and  foamed 
through  this  channel  from  3  to  20  feet  deep,  but 
only  in  the  trench,  which  was  not  five  feet  wide. 
An  intelligent  man  came  near  to  see  me  enter  this 
curious  passage,  but  when  we  had  gone  a  little  way 
I  had  to  stop  the  boat,  by  putting  my  hands  on  both 
sides  of  the  river  !  Then  I  debarked  and  carefully 
let  the  boat  drive  along  the  current,  but  still  held 
by  the  painter.  Soon  the  current  was  too  narrow 
and  fast  even  for  this  process,  so  I  pulled  the  canoe 
upon  the  dry  rock,  and  sat  down  to  breathe  and  to 
cool  my  panting  frame.  Two  other  gentlemen  had 
come  near  me  by  this  time,  and  on  a  bridge  above 
them  were  several  more  with  ladies.  I  had  to 
drag  the  boat  some  hundred  yards  over  most 
awkward  rocks,  and  these  men  hovered  round  and 
admired,  and  even  talked  to  me,  and  actually 
praised  my  perseverance,  yet  not  one  offer  of  any 
help  did  any  one  of  them  give  ! 

In  deep  water  again,  and  now  exactly  under 


200  IN   A   HEDGE. 

the  bridge  I  looked  up  and  found  the  whole  party 
regarding  the  Rob  Roy  with  curiosity  and  smiles. 
Within  a  few  yards  was  a  large  house  that  these 
people  had  come  from,  and  I  thought  their  smiles 
were  surely  to  preface,  "  Would  you  not  like  a 
glass  of  wine.  Sir,  after  your  hour  of  hard  work  ?" 
But  as  it  meant  nothing  of  the  sort  I  could  not 
help  answering  their  united  adieux !  by  these 
words,  "  Adieu,  ladies  and  gentlemen.  Many  to 
look,  but  none  to  help.  The  exhibition  is  gra- 
tuitous !  "  Was  it  rude  to  say  this  ?  I  couldn't 
help  thinking  it. 

One  or  two  other  places  gave  trouble  without 
interest,  such  as  when  we  had  to  pu^h  the  boat 
into  a  hedge  point  foremost,  and  to  pull  it  through 
by  main  force  from  the  other  side,  and  then,  after 
all,  we  had  pushed  her  into  the  wrong  field,  so 
the  operation  had  to  be  done  o\'er  again  in  a 
reverse  direction.  But  never  mind,  all  this  counted 
in  the  day's  work,  and  all  the  trouble  of  it  was 
forgotten  after  a  good  night's  sleep,  or  was 
entirely  recompensed  by  some  interesting  adven- 
ture. The  water  of  the  Moselle  is  so  clear  that 
the  scenery  under  the  surface  continually  occupied 
my  attention.  In  one  long  reach,  unusually  deep 
and  quiet,  and  shallow,  because  of  the  long 
drought,  I  was  gazing  down  at  some  huge  trout, 
when  a  large  stone,  the  upper  part  of  a  fine 
column,  was  suddenly  perceived  at  the  bottom,  at 
least  ten  feet  below  me.  The  capital  showed  it  to  be 
Ionic,  and  near  this  was  another,  a  broken  pedi- 
ment of  large  dimensions,  and  a  little  further  on 
a  pedestal  of  white  marble.  I  carefully  examined 
both  banks,  to  see  if  a  Homan  villa  or  bridge,  or 


A   DISCOVERY.  201 

other  ruin,  indicated  how  these  subaqueous  re- 
liques  had  come  into  this  strange  position,  and  I 
inquired  diligently  at  Charmes,  the  next  town ; 
but  although  much  curiosity  was  shown  on  the 
subject,  no  information  was  obtained,  except  that 
the  Romans  had  built  a  fort  somewhere  on  the 
river  (but  plainly  not  at  that  spot),  so  we  may 
consider  that  the  casual  glance  at  the  fish  revealed 
a  curious  fragment  of  the  past  hitherto  probably 
unnoticed,  and  that  these  carved  pillars  may  have 
been  upset  in  this  pool  many  centuries  ago.  After 
paddling  along  the  Moselle,  from  as  near  to  its 
source  as  my  canoe  could  find  water,  until  the 
scenery  became  dull  at  Charmes,  we  went  by  rail- 
way to  Blainville,  on  the  river  Meurthe,  which  is 
a  tributary  of  the  Moselle,  for  I  thought  some 
new  scenery  might  be  found  in  this  direction.  The 
Rob  Roy  was  therefore  sent  by  herself  in  a  goods 
train,  the  first  separation  between  us  for  three 
months.  It  seemed  as  if  the  little  boat,  leaning 
on  its  side  in  the  truck,  turned  from  me  reproach- 
fully, and  we  foreboded  all  sorts  of  accidents  to 
its  delicate  frame,  but  the  only  thing  lost  was  a 
sponge,  a  necessary  appendage  to  a  boat's  outfit 
when  you  desire  to  keep  it  perfectly  dry  and  clean, 
and  an  article  frequently  stolen  afterwards  in  my 
Baltic  cruise. 

Two  railway  porters,  with  much  good-humoured 
laughing,  carried  the  Rob  Roy  from  the  station  to 
the  water,  and  again  we  paddled  cheerily  on  a 
new  river,  with  scenery  and  character  quite  dif- 
ferent from  the  Moselle.  The  Meurthe  winds 
through  rich  plains  of  soft  earth,  with  few  rocks 
and   little   gravel.       But   then   in   its   shallows 


202  RIVER   MEURTHE. 

it  has  long  thick  mossy  weeds,  all  under  the 
surface.  These  were  found  to  be  very  trouble- 
some, because  they  got  entangled  with  my  paddle, 
and  since  they  could  not  be  seen  beforehand,  the 
best  channel  was  not  discernible,  as  it  is  where 
rocks  or  gravel  give  those  various  forms  of  ripples 
which  the  captain  of  a  canoe  soon  learns  to  scan 
like  a  chart  telHng  the  depth  in  inches.  Moreover, 
when  you  get  grounded  among  these  long  weeds, 
all  pointed  down  stream,  it  is  very  difficult  to  back 
out,  for  it  is  then  like  combing  your  hair  against 
the  grain. 

The  larger  rivers  in  France  are  all  thoroughly 
fished.  In  every  nook  you  find  a  fisherman.  They 
are  just  as  numerous  here  as  they  are  rare 
in  Germany.  And  yet  one  would  think  that  fish- 
ing is  surely  more  adapted  to  the  contemplative 
German  than  to  the  vivacious  French.  Yet,  here 
they  are  in  France  by  hundreds,  both  men  and 
women,  and  every  day,  each  staring  intently  on  a 
tiny  float,  or  at  the  grasshopper  bait,  and  he  is 
quite  satisfied  if  now  and  then  he  can  pull  up  a 
fish  the  size  of  your  thumb. 

JN^ot  one  of  these  fishers  I  spoke  to  had  ever  seen 
an  artificial  fly. 

Generallj^,  these  people  are  alone,  and  when 
they  asked  me  at  hotels  if  I  did  not  feel  lonely 
in  the  canoe,  the  answer  was,  "Look  at  your 
fishermen,  for  hours  by  choice  alone.  They  have 
something  to  occupy  attention  every  moment,  and 
so  have  I." 

Sometimes,  however,  there  is  a  whole  party  in 
one  clumsy  boat.  The  pater  familias  sits  con- 
tent,  and  recks  not  if  all  his  time  is  spent  in 


FLIRTING. 


203 


«« French  Fishers. 


baiting  Ms  line  and  lighting  his  pipe.  The  lazy 
"  hopeful "  lies  at  Ml  length  on  the  grass,  while 
a  younger  brother  strains  every  nerve  to  hook  a 
knowing  fish  that  is  laughing  at  him  under  water, 
and  winking  its  pale  eye  to  see  the  fisher  just 
toppling  over.  Mademoiselle  chatters  whether 
there  are  bites  or  not,  and  another,  the  fair  cousin, 
has  got  on  shore,  where  she  can  bait  her  hook  and 
set  her  cap  and  simper  to  the  bold  admirer  by  her 
side. 

Then  besides,  we  have  the  fishers  with  nets. 


204  DUCKS. 

These  are  generally  three  men  in  a  boat,  with,  its 
stem  and  its  stern  cocked  up,  and  the  whole  affair 
looking  as  if  it  must  upset.  Exactly  such  boats 
were  painted  by  Raphael  in  the  great  Cartoons, 
where  it  may  be  observed  how  small  the  boat  is 
when  compared  with  the  men  it  carries. 

Again,  there  are  some  young  lads  searching 
under  the  stones  for  ecrevisses,  the  freshwater 
prawns  so  much  in  request,  but  which  give  very 
little  food  for  a  great  deal  of  trouble.  Kear  these 
fishers  the  pike  plies  his  busy  sportsman's  life 
below  the  surface,  and  sometimes  a  poor  little 
trout  would  leap  high  into  the  air  to  escape 
from  the  long-nosed  pursuer,  who  followed  him 
even  out  of  the  water,  and  snapped  his  jaws 
on  the  sweet  morsel  impudently.  This  sound, 
added  to  the  very  suspicious  appearance  of  the 
Rob  Roy  gliding  among  the  islands,  decides  the 
doubtful  point  with  a  duck,  the  leader  of  a  flock 
of  wild  ducks  that  have  been  swimming  down 
stream  in  front  of  me  with  a  quick  glance  on  each, 
side,  every  one  of  them  seemingly  indignant 
at  this  intrusion  on  their  haunts.  At  last  they 
find  it  really  will  not  do,  so  with  a  scream  and  a 
spring  they  flap  the  water  and  rise  in  a  body  to 
seek  if  there  be  not  elsewhere  at  least  some  one 
nook  to  nestle  in  where  John  Bull  does  not 
come. 

That  bell  you  hear  tinkling  is  at  the  ferry,  to 
call  the  ferryman  who  lives  at  the  other  side,  and 
he  will  jump  into  his  clumsy  boat,  which  is  tied 
to  a  puUy  running  on  a  rope  stretched  tight 
across  the  river.  He  has  only  to  put  his  oar 
aslant  and  the  current  soon  brings  the  boat  to  the 


A   MOVING    HOUSE.  205 

other  bank.  Paddling  on  further,  after  a  chat 
with  the  ferryman  (he  is  sure  to  be  ready  for  that), 
a  phenomenon  appears.  We  see  a  house,  large, 
new,  and  of  two  stories  high, — it  has  actually 
moved.  We  noticed  it  a  few  minutes  ago,  and 
now  it  has  changed  its  position.  While  we  gaze 
in  astonishment,  lo !  the  whole  house  entirely  dis- 
appears. Now,  the  true  explanation  of  this  is 
soon  found  when  we  get  round  the  next  corner  of 
the  reaoh ; — the  house  is  a  great  wooden  bathing 
"  etablissement,"  built  on  a  barge,  and  it  is  being 
slowly  dragged  up  the  stream. 

After  wonder  comes  sentiment.  Three  women 
are  seen  on  the  river-bank  evidently  in  great 
alarm  :  a  mother,  a  daughter,  and  a  servant  maid, 
who  are  searching  in  vain  for  two  boys,  supposed 
to  have  gone  away  to  fish,  but  now  missing  for 
many  hours.  The  ladies  eagerly  inquired  if  I  had 
seen  the  lads,  and  implored  me  with  tears  to  give 
them  advice.  I  tried  my  best  to  recollect,  but  no  ! 
I  had  not  seen  the  boys,  and  so  the  women  went 
away  distracted,  and  left  me  sorrowful — who  would 
not  be  so  at  a  woman^s  tears,  a  mother's  too?  But 
suddenly,  when  toiling  in  the  middle  of  a  difficult 
piece  of  rock-work,  I  remembered  having  seen 
those  very  boys,  so  I  ran  over  the  fields  after  the 
anxious  mamma  and  soon  assured  her  that  the 
children  had  been  safe  an  hour  ago,  and  their 
faithful  servant  with  them,  but  that  he  had  become 
the  fisherman,  and  they,  like  boys,  had  soon  tired 
of  the  rod,  and  were  playing  with  a  goat.  When 
the  poor  mother  heard  that  the  little  fellows  were 
safe,  her  tears  of  joy  were  quite  afiecting,  and 
they  vividly  recalled  one's  schoolboy  days,  when 


206  A  mother's  tears. 

the  thoughtless  playtime  of  childhood  so  often 
entails  anxiety  on  a  loving  mother's  heart.  Such, 
then,  are  the  river  sights  and  river  wonders,  new, 
though  perhaps  trifling,  but  far  more  lively  and 
entertaining  than  the  common  incidents  of  a  dusty 
road,  or  a  whirring,  shrieking  train. 

With  a  few  wadings  and  bumpings,  and  one  or 
two  "vannes,"  or  weirs,  we  slipped  along  plea- 
santly until  evening  came.  Still  it  was  only  a 
slow  stream,  and  the  towers  of  St.  Nicholas,  long 
visible  on  the  horizon,  seemed  ever  to  move  from 
side  to  side  without  being  any  nearer,  so  much 
does  this  river  wind  in  its  course.  The  Rob  Roy 
paddled  at  her  best  pace,  but  the  evening  rapidly 
grew  darker,  until  we  overtook  two  youths  in  a 
boat,  the  first  time  we  had  noticed  Frenchmen 
rowing  for  exercise.  They  could  not  keep  up 
with  the  canoe,  so  I  had  to  leave  them  in- 
gloriously  aground  on  a  bank,  and  yet  they  were 
too  lazy  to  get  out  and  help  their  boat  over  the 
difficulty. 

J^ext  there  was  a  great  weir  about  fifteen  feet 
in  height,  the  deepest  we  had  encountered,  and 
half  a  sigh  was  heaved  that  there  was  no  escape 
from  the  bother  of  getting  out  and  gymnasticizing 
here  after  a  long  day's  work  to  get  the  boat  over 
this  weir  in  the  dark;  and  then,  what  was  far 
worse,  I  found  myself  in  a  maze  of  shallows, 
without  any  light  to  see  how  to  get  through  them. 
Whenever  I  stopped  for  a  rest,  there  was  only 
darkness,  silence,  and  no  motion — not  even  the 
excitement  of  a  current  to  arouse.  Finally,  I  had 
to  wade  and  haul  the  boat  along,  and  jump  in  and 
ferry  myself  over  the  pools,  for  nearly  half  a  mile, 


NIGHT    FROLIC.  207 

until  at  length  tlie  "  look-out  ^'  man  of  our  star- 
board watch  hailed  loudly,  "  A  bridge  and  a  house 
on  the  lee  bow  !"  and  a  joyous  cheer  burst  forth 
from  the  crew.  All  this,  which  may  be  told  in  a 
few  lines,  took  a  full  hour  of  very  tiresome  w^ork, 
though,  as  there  was  no  current,  there  was  no 
danger,  and  it  was  merely  tedious,  wet,  unlighted, 
and  uncomfortable,  so  I  sang  and  whistled  all  the 
time. 

When  the  bridge  was  reached  of  course  there 
must  be  a  tow^n,  and  then  happened  a  scene  almost 
an  exact  counterpart  of  that  which  took  place  at 
Gegglingen,  on  the  Danube.  For  when  after 
hauling  up  my  boat  on  the  dark  shore,  and  all 
dripping  wet,  I  mounted  to  the  house  aboye,  and 
aroused  the  inmates, — a  window  opened,  and  a 
worthy  couple  appeared  in  their  night-dresses, 
holding  a  candle  to  examine  the  intruder.  The 
tableau  was  most  comical.  The  man  asked,  "  Is 
it  a  farce  ?  "  He  could  scarcely  expect  a  traveller 
from  England  to  arrive  there  at  such  an  hour. 
But  he  soon  helped  me  to  carry  the  boat  to  a  little 
Restaurant,  where  a  dozen  men  were  drinking, 
who  rushed  out  with  lamps  to  look  at  the  boat, 
and  we  had  to  carry  her  through  the  dark  streets 
to  another  house,  where  another  lot  of  topers 
received  me  in  like  style.  We  put  the  Rob  Roy 
into  a  garden  here,  and  her  sails  flapped  next 
morning  while  a  crowd  gazed  over  the  walls  with 
anxious  curiosity.  The  husband  who  had  thus 
left  his  sleeping  spouse  that  he  might  carry  my 
wet  boat,  was  highly  pleased  with  a  fiv€-franc  piece, 
which  must  have  been  like  a  five-pound  note  to 
him  in  such  a  cheap  country.     Next  morning  we 


208  SALT   MINE. 

surveyed  tlie  scene  of  last  night's  adventure,  and 
it  was  very  amusing  to  trace  the  various  channels 
we  had  groped  about  in  during  black  darkness. 

Here  I  met  a  French  gentleman  of  gay  and 
pleasant  manner,  but  who  bemoaned  his  lot  as 
Secretary  of  a  great  factory  in  this  outlandish 
place,  instead  of  being  in  joyous,  thoughtless, 
brilliant  Paris,  where,  he  said,  often  for  days 
together  he  never  slept  in  a  bed,  but  ran  one 
night  into  the  next  by  balls,  theatres,  and  parties. 
He  kindly  took  me  to  see  the  great  salt  works, 
which  send  refined  salt  throughout  Europe.  This 
rock  salt  is  hoisted  out  of  a  deep  mine  in  blocks 
like  those  of  coal,  having  been  hewn  from  the 
strata  below,  which  are  pierced  by  long  and  lofty 
galleries.  Then  it  is  covered  in  tanks  by  water, 
which  becomes  saturated  and  is  conducted  to  flat 
evaporating  pans,  when  the  water  is  expelled  by 
the  heat  of  a  furnace,  and  the  salt  dries  in  masses 
like  snow-drift.  Salt  that  is  sold  by  weight  they 
judiciously  wet  again,  and  other  quaHties  sold  by 
measure  they  cleverly  deposit  in  crooked  crystals, 
so  as  to  take  up  as  much  space  as  possible ! 

We  found  a  canal  here,  and  as  the  river  was  so 
shallow  the  Rob  Roy  mounted  to  the  artificial 
channel,  and  with  a  strong  and  fair  wind  she 
was  soon  sailing  along.  This  canal  has  plenty 
of  traffic  upon  it,  and  only  a  few  locks ;  so  it 
was  by  no  means  tedious.  They  asked  for  my 
card  of  permission,  but  I  smiled  the  matter  ofi"  as 
before.  However,  an  officer  of  the  canal  who  was 
walking  alongside  looked  much  more  seriously  at 
the  infringement  of  rules,  and  when  we  came  to  a 
lock  he  insisted  we  must  produce  the  "  carte." 


WORK   FOR    THE    YOUNG.  209 

As  a  last  resort,  I  showed  liini  the  well-worn 
sketch-book,  and  then  he  at  once  gave  in.  In 
fact,  after  he  had  laughed  at  a  culprit's  carica- 
tures, how  could  he  gravely  sentence  him  to 
penalties  ? 

It  is  wonderful  how  a  few  lines  of  drawing  will 
please  these  outlying  country  people.  Sometimes 
we  gave  a  small  sketch  to  a  man  when  it  was 
desirable  to  get  rid  of  him :  he  was  sure  to  take 
it  away  to  show  outside,  and  when  he  returned  we 
had  gone.  Once  I  gave  to  a  little  girl  a  portrait 
of  her  brother,  and  next  morning  she  brought  it 
again  all  crumpled  up.  Her  mother  said  that  the 
child  had  held  it  all  night  in  her  hand. 

Work  for  the  young,  0  brother  canoemen.  Get 
the  "  Boy's  Beadle  "  to  befriend  the  hapless 
wanderers.  Teach  them  to  earn  their  bread  and 
not  to  beg.  Change  their  sodden  brown  rags  into 
bright  red  coats,  as  shoeblacks,  or  bright  blue 
jackets,  as  sailor  boys,  and  hurrah  for  the 
"  Chichester,"  the  floating  home  of  the  homeless 
boy.  Teach  him  to  read,  and  give  him  a  "  British 
Workman,"  and  a  "  Leisure  Hour,"  and  a  "  Chat- 
terbox," to  amuse  and  instruct,  while  you  tear  up 
the  ^'  Police  News,"  and  wait  for  the  "  Boys' 
Times,"  that  will  be  full  of  sense  and  fun,  and 
news,  knowledge,  and  adventure. 

Pray  for  them  all,  these  little  folk,  or  your  work 
will  be  lifeless.  Don^t  mind  the  "cant "  of  the  people 
who  call  it  "  cant "  to  kneel  while  you  work.  A 
Strong  Arm  was  reached  far  down  to  save  you  and 
me,  and  the  boy  and  the  girl,  that  are  crying  to 
us  both  in  their  misery. 

p 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


Luxuries — Monks — Camp  at  Chalons — Inns  of  Court — A 
Widower — Leaks — Come  to  see  a  Smash — Champagne 
— The  EiverMarne — Name  of  my  Wife — Silence — The 
Sun — Eafts  and  Flocks— Newspapers — Millstones — 
Hot  Wind— Old  Soldier. 

The  canal  brought  me  to  Nancy,  a  fine  old  town, 
with  an  archbishop,  a  field-marshal,  a  good  hotel, 
large  washhand  basins,  drums,  bugles,  ices,  and 
all  the  other  luxuries  of  life.  In  the  cathedral 
there  was  more  tawdry  show  about  the  Mass  than 
we  ever  remarked  before,  even  in  Italy.  At  least 
thirty  celebrants  acted  in  the  performance,  and 
the  bowings  and  turnings  and  grimaces  of  sedate 
old  men  clad  in  gorgeous  dirty  needlework,  fumb- 
ling with  trifles  and  muttering  Latin,  really  passed 
all  bounds :  they  were  an  insult  to  the  popula- 
tion, who  are  required  to  attend  this  vicarious 
worship,  and  to  accept  such  absurdities  as  the 
true  interpretation  of  "  This  do  in  remembrance 
of  Me." 

A  large  congregation,  nearly  all  women,  listened 
to  an  eloquent  sermon  from  a  young  priest  who 
glorified  an  old  saint.      It  is  possible  that  the 


MONKS.  211 

ancient  worthy  was  a  most  respectable  monk,  but 
probably  a  good  deal  like  tbe  monks  one  meets 
now  in  the  monasteries,  and,  having  lived  pretty 
frequently  with  these  gentlemen  in  Europe,  Asia, 
and  Africa,  one  smiles  to  think  of  canonizing  such 
folk  as  if  any  one  of  them  had  unapproachable 
excellence.  Perhaps,  however,  this  particular 
monk  distinguished  himself  by  proper  daily  ablu- 
tions, and  so  gained  the  rare  reputation  of  being 
reasonably  clean.  In  the  afternoon  the  relics  of 
the  monk  were  borne  through  the  streets  by  a 
procession  of  some  thousand  women  and  a  few 
men.  These  ladies,  some  hundreds  of  whom  were 
dressed  in  white  muslin,  chanted  as  they  slowly 
marched,  and  all  the  bystanders  took  off  their  hats, 
but  I  really  could  not  see  what  adoration  was  due 
to  the  mouldering  bones  of  a  withered  friar,  so  my 
excellent  straw  hat  was  kept  on  my  head. 

The  French,  who  live  in  public,  must  have  a 
public  religion,  a  gregarious  worship,  with  demon- 
strative action  and  colours  and  sounds.  Deep 
devotion,  silent  in  its  depth,  is  for  the  north  and 
not  for  this  radiant  sun,  though  you  will  find  that 
quieter  worship  again  in  lower  latitudes  where  the 
very  heat  precludes  activity.  Some  twenty  years 
ago,  one  of  our  ablest  Cambridge  men  read  a  paper 
on  the  influence  of  the  insular  position  and  the 
climate  of  Britain  upon  our  national  character.  For 
the  Frenchman,  in  a  third-rate  town  like  Nancy, 
for  instance,  nearly  all  the  agrements  depend  on  the 
climate,  and  they  would  be  sadly  curtailed  by  rain 
or  snow.  So  when  this  Frenchman  visits  England 
and  gets  laughed  at  for  mistakes  in  our  difficult 
language,   and  has   to  eat   only  two    dishes   for 

p2 


S12  CAMP   AT    CHALONS. 

dinner,  and  drinks  bad  coffee,  and  has  no  evening 
lounge  in  the  open  air,  and  is  tlien  told  to  look 
at  our  domestic  life,  and  finds  he  cannot  get  an 
entrance  there  (for  how  yery  few  French  do  enter 
there),  his  miseries  are  directly  caused  by  our 
climate,  and  no  wonder  his  impression  of  Albion 
is  that  we  are  all  fog  and  cotton  and  smoke, 
and  everything  triste. 

From  Nancy  the  canoe  went  by  rail  to  meet  me 
on  the  river  Marne,  and  while  the  slow  luggage- 
train  lumbered  along  I  went  off  to  visit  the  Camp 
of  Chalons,  the  Aldershot  of  France.  An  omni- 
bus takes  you  from  the  railway  station,  by  a  long 
straggling  street  of  very  little  houses,  built  badly, 
and  looking  as  if  one  and  all  could  be  pushed  down 
by  your  hand.  These  are  not  the  military  quarters, 
but  the  self-grown  parasite  sutlers'  town,  which 
springs  up  near  every  camp.  Here  is  "Place 
Solferino,"  and  there  you  see  "  Kue  Malakhoff," 
where  the  sign  of  the  inn  is  a  Chinaman  having  his 
pigtail  lopped  off  by  a  Fran^ais.  The  camp  is  in 
the  middle  of  a  very  large  plain,  with  plenty  of 
dust  and  white  earth,  which  glared  on  my  eyes 
intensely,  this  being  the  hottest  day  during  the 
cruise.  But  there  are  trees  for  shade,  and  a  good 
deal  of  grass  on  these  extensive  downs  where  great 
armies  can  manoeuvre  and  march  past  the  Emperor 
as  he  sits  enthroned  under  a  bower  on  that  hill- 
crest  overlooking  all. 

The  permanent  quarters  for  the  troops  consist 
of  about  500  separate  houses,  substantial,  airy, 
and  well  lighted,  all  built  of  brick,  and  slated,  and 
kept  in  good  repair ;  each  of  these  is  about  seventy 
feet  long,  twenty  broad,  and  of  one  story  high.   A 


INNS   or   COURT.  213 

million  and  a  half  pounds  sterling  have  already- 
been  expended  on  this  camp.  Behind  the  quarters 
are  the  soldiers'  gardens,  a  feature  added  lately  to 
the  camps  in  England.  There  were  only  a  few 
thousand  soldiers  at  the  place,  so  we  soon  saw  all 
that  was  interesting,  and  then  at  a  restaurant  I 
observed  about  twenty  officers  go  to  breakfast 
together,  but  their  loud,  coarse,  and  outrageously 
violent  conversation  really  amazed  me.  The  din 
was  monstrous  and  without  intermission.  AVe  had 
never  before  fallen  in  with  so  very  bad  a  specimen 
of  French  manners,  and  I  cannot  help  thinking 
that  there  may  have  been  special  reasons  why  these 
men  went  on  bellowing  for  half  an  hour  as  they 
ate  their  breakfast. 

The  military  mess  system  has  been  tried  in  the 
French  army  several  times,  but  it  always  fails, 
as  the  French  Clubs  do,  on  the  whole.  It  is  not 
wise,  however,  for  a  traveller  to  generalize  too 
rapidly  upon  the  character  of  any  portion  of  a 
great  people  if  he  has  not  lived  long  among  them. 
By  a  hasty  glance  you  may  discern  that  a  stranger 
has  a  long  nose,  but  you  must  have  better  ac- 
quaintance with  him  before  you  can  tell  his 
character.* 

Another  interesting  town  in  this  department  of 
France  is  Hheims  (spelt  Reims,  and  pronounced 
very  nearly  Rens).     I  enjoyed  a  visit  to  its  very 

*  In  a  little  book  just  published  in  France  about  the 
English  Bar  two  facts  are  noted,  that  Barristers  put  the 
name  of  their  "  Inn  ' '  on  their  visiting  cards,  and  that  the 
Temple  Volunteers  are  drilled  admirably  by  a  Serjeant-at- 
Law,  who  wields  "  an  umbrella  with  a  varnished  cover, 
which  glances  in  the  sun  like  a  sword  "  ! 


214  A   WIDOWER. 

splendid  cathedral,  whicli  is  one  of  tlie  finest  in 
Europe,  very  old,  very  large,  very  rich,  and  cele- 
brated as  the  place  of  coronation  for  the  French 
sovereigns.  Besides  all  this  it  is  kept  in  good  order, 
and  is  remarkably  clean.  The  outside  is  covered 
with  stone  figures,  most  of  them  rude  in  art,  but 
giving  at  a  distance  an  appearance  of  prodigal 
richness  of  material. 

A  little  periodical  called  France  Illustrated  is 
published  at  fourpence  each  number,  with  a  map 
of  the  Department,  several  woodcuts  of  notable 
places  or  events,  and  a  brief  history  of  the  prin- 
cipal towns,  concluding  with  a  resume  of  the  sta- 
tistics of  the  Department.  A  pubhcation  of  this 
kind  would  be  very  useful  in  England ;  and  for 
travellers  especially,  who  could  purchase  at  the 
County  town  the  particular  nimiber  then  required. 
In  one  of  the  adjoining  Departments,  this  publica- 
tion said  that  there  are  about  a  hundred  suicides  in 
the  year  among  a  population  of  half  a  million. 
Surely  this  is  an  alarming  proportion  ;  and  what 
should  we  say  if  Manchester  had  to  report  that 
100  men  and  women  in  one  year  put  themselves 
to  death  ? 

But  we  are  subsiding,  you  see,  into  the  ordinary 
tales  of  a  traveller,  because  I  am  waiting  now  for 
the  train  and  the  Kob  Boy,  and  certainly  this  my 
only  experience  of  widowerhood  made  me  long 
again  for  the  well-known  yellow  oaken  side  of  the 
boat  and  her  pink-brown  cedar  deck.  Well,  next 
morning  here  is  the  canoe  at  Epernay,  arrived  all 
safe  at  a  cost  of  2s.  M,  All  safe  we  thought  at 
fi.rst,  but  we  soon  found  she  had  been  sadly 
bruised,  and  would  surely  leak.     On  the  railway 


LEAKS.  215 

platform  in  tlie  liot  sun,  we  occupied  three  good 
hours  in  making  repairs  and  greasing  the  seams. 
But  after  all  this  trouble,  when  we  put  the  boat 
into  the  Marne,  the  water  oozed  in  all  round. 

It  is  humiliating  to  sit  in  a  leaky  boat — ^it  is 
like  using  a  lame  horse  or  a  crooked  gun  ;  of  the 
many  needful  qualities  of  a  boat  the  first  is  to  be 
staunch.  So  I  stopped  at  the  first  village,  and 
got  a  man  to  mix  white  lead  and  other  things, 
and  worked  this  into  the  seams,  leaving  it  to 
harden  while  I  fed  in  the  auberge  by  the  shore, 
where  they  are  making  the  long  rafts  to  go  down 
to  Paris,  and  where  hot  farmers  sip  their  two- 
penny bottle  of  wine. 

The  raft  man  was  wonderfully  proud  of  his 
performance  with  the  canoe,  and  he  called  out  to 
each  of  his  friends  as  they  walked  past,  to  give 
them  its  long  history  in  short  words.  When  he 
was  paid  at  last,  he  said  I  must  never  forget  that 
the   canoe  had  been  thoroughly  mended  in  the 

middle  of  France,  at  the  village  of  ,  but  I 

really  do  not  remember  the  name.  However,  there 
were  not  wanting  tests  of  his  workmanship,  for 
the  E-ob  Roy  had  to  be  pulled  over  many  dykes 
and  barriers  on  the  Marne.  Some  of  these  were 
of  a  peculiar  and  novel  construction.  A  "barrage" 
reached  across  the  stream,  and  there  were  three 
steps  or  falls  on  it,  with  a  plateau  below  each. 
The  water  ran  over  these  steps,  and  was  sometimes 
only  a  few  inches  in  depth  on  the  crest  of  each 
fall,  where  it  had  to  descend  about  eight  inches. 
This,  of  course,  would  have  been  easy  enough  for 
the  canoe  to  pass,  but  then  a  line  of  iron  posts 
was  ranged  along  each  plateau,  with  chains  tied 


216 


COME    TO    SEE    A    SMASH. 


'•  The  Chain  Barrier." 


from  the  top  of  one  post  to  the  bottom  of  another, 
diagonally,  a  very  puzzling  arrangement  to  steer 
through  in  a  fast  current. 

In  cases  of  this  sort  we  usually  went  ashore  to 
reconnoitre,  and  having  calculated  the  angle  at 
which  we  must  enter  the  passage  obliquely  (down 
a  fall,  and  across  its  stream),  I  managed  to  get 
successfully  through  several  of  these  strange 
barriers.  But  we  came  at  length  to  one  which 
was  extremely  difficult,  because  the  chains  were 
slack,  and  there  was  only  an  inch  or  two  of"  law  " 
on  either  side  of  the  channel  through  them.  Just 
then  a  man  happened  to  see  my  movements,  and 
he  called  some  dozen  of  his  fellow  navvies  from 
their  work  to  look  at  the  navigator.     The  captain 


CHAMPAGNE.  2lT 

of  the  canoe  was  therefore  incited  to  try  tlie 
passage,  and  he  resolved  to  be  at  any  rate  cool 
and  placid,  however  much  discomfiture  was  to  be 
endured.  The  boat  was  steered  to  the  very  best 
of  my  power,  but  her  bow  swerved  an  inch  in  the 
swift  oblique  descent,  and  instantly  it  was  locked 
in  the  chains,  while  I  quietly  stepped  out 
(whistling  an  air  in  slow  time),  and  steadily  lifted 
the  boat  through  the  iron  network  and  got  into 
her,  dripping  wet,  though  wincing  not.  The 
navvies  cheered  a  long  and  loud  bravo  !  but  the 
canoeist  felt  ashamed  of  having  yielded  to  the 
desire  for  ignorant  applause,  and  round  the  next 
corner  he  changed  his  wet  things,  a  wiser  and  a 
sadder  man,  but  dry. 

This  part  of  the  river  is  in  the  heart  of  the 
champagne  country,  and  all  the  softly  swelling 
hills  around  are  thicklj^  covered  by  vineyards.  The 
vine  for  champagne  is  exceedingly  small,  and 
grows  round  one  stick,  so  the  hillside  looks  just 
like  a  carding-brush,  from  the  millions  of  these 
little  sharp-pointed  rods  upright  in  the  ground 
and  close  together,  without  any  fence  between  the 
innumerable  lots.  The  grape  for  champagne  is 
always  red,  and  never  white  (so  they  said),  though 
white  grapes  are  grown  for  eating.  During  the 
last  two  months  few  people  had  consumed  more 
grapes  in  this  manner  than  the  chief  mate  of  the 
Rob  Roy. 

On  one  of  these  hills  we  noticed  the  house  of 
Madame  Chcquot,  whose  name  has  graced  many 
a  cork  of  champagne  bottles  and  of  bottles  not 
champagne.  The  vineyards  of  Ai,  near  Epernay, 
are  the  most  celebrated  for  their  wine.     After  the 


218  THE    RIVER   MARNE. 

bottles  are  filled,  they  are  placed  neck  downwards, 
and  the  sediment  collects  near  the  cork.  Each 
bottle  is  then  partly  uncorked  for  an  instant  in 
this  position,  and  the  confined  gas  forces  out  a 
little  of  the  wine  with  the  sediment,  while  a  skil- 
ful man  replaces  the  cork.  When  the  bottles  are 
stored  in  "  caves,"  or  vast  cellars,  the  least  change 
of  temperature  causes  them  to  burst  by  hundreds. 
Sometimes  one-fourth  of  the  bottles  explode  in 
this  manner,  and  it  is  said  that  the  renowned 
Madame  Clicquot  lost  400,000  bottles  in  the  hot 
autumn  of  1843,  before  sufficient  ice  could  be 
fetched  from  Paris  to  cool  her  spacious  cellars. 
Every  year  about  fifty  million  bottler  of  genuine 
champagne  are  made  in  France,  and  no  one  can 
say  how  many  more  millions  of  bottles  of  "  French 
champagne  "  are  imbibed  every  year  by  a  confiding 
world. 

The  Marne  is  a  large  and  deep  river,  and  its 
waters  are  kept  up  by  barriers  every  few  miles. 
It  is  rather  troublesome  to  pass  these  by  taking 
the  boat  out  and  letting  it  down  on  the  other  side, 
and  in  crossing  one  of  them  the  stern  of  the  canoe 
had  a  serious  blow  against  an  iron  bar.  This 
collision  started  four  planks  from  the  sternpost, 
and  revealed  to  me  also  that  the  whole  frame  had 
sufiered  from  the  journey  at  night  on  an  open 
truck.  But,  as  my  ship's  carpenter  was  on  board, 
and  had  nails  and  screws,  we  soon  managed  to 
make  all  tight  again,"*  and  by  moonlight  came  to 

*  No  permanent  damage  was  done,  and  the  Rob  Roy 
afterwards  went  to  Ireland,  Scotland,  and  the  North  Cape 
in  Norway.  Now  she  rests  in  her  builder's  keeping, 
"  Emerita,"  the  mother  of  at  least  500  boats  built  like  her. 


NAME    OF    MY   WIFE.  219 

Dormans,  where  she  had  the  invariable  run  of 
visitors,  until  everybody  went  to  bed. 

It  was  curious  to  remark  the  different  names  by 
which  the  canoe  was  called,  and  among  these  were 
the  following  :— "  Bateau;'  "  schiff;'  "  hot;' 
'^harca;'  " canot;'  ^'caique''  (the  soldiers  who 
have  been  in  the  Crimea  call  it  thus),  '^  chaloiipe;' 
'^  navire;'  ^^schipp''  (Low  German),  '^  yacht;' 
("jacht" — Danish,  "jaht,"  from  "jagen,"  to 
ride  quickly — properly  a  boat  drawn  by  horses). 
Several  people  have  spoken  of  it  as  "  bateatc  a 
vapeur;'  for  in  the  centre  of  France  they  have 
never  seen  a  steamboat,  but  the  usual  name  with 
the  common  people  is  ''petit  bateau;'  and  among 
the  educated  people  ''nacelle"  or  "perissoir;" 
this  last  as  we  call  a  dangerous  boat  a  "coffin" 
or  "  sudden  death."  The  paddleris  "  pagayeur." 
In  the  East  the  Turks  and  Egyptians  called  her 
"  shaktoora."" 

An  early  start  next  morning  found  us  slipping 
along  with  a  tolerable  current  and  sailing  before 
a  fine  fresh  breeze,  but  under  the  same  blue  sky. 
I  had  several  interesting  conversations  with 
farmers  and  others  riding  to  market  along  the 
road  which  here  skirts  the  river.  What  most 
surprises  the  Frenchman  is  that  a  traveller  can 
possibly  be  happy  alone  !  However  selfish  it  may 
seem  to  be,  it  is  far  best  for  this  sort  of  journey 
to  travel  entirely  seul. 

Pleasant  trees  and  pretty  gardens  are  here  on 
every  side  in  plenty,  but  where  are  the  houses  of 
the  gentlemen  of  France,  and  where  are  the 
French  gentlemen  themselves  ?  This  is  a  differ- 
ence between  France  and  England  which  cannot 


220  SILENCE. 

fail  to  "knock"  the  observant  traveller  (as 
Artemus  Ward  would  have  said) — ^the  notable 
absence  of  country  seats  during  hours  and  hours 
of  passage  along  the  best  routes;  whereas  in 
England  the  prospect  from  almost  every  hill  of 
woodland  would  have  a  great  house  at  the  end  of 
its  vista,  and  the  environs  of  every  town  would 
stretch  into  outworks  of  villas  smiling  in  the  sun. 
The  French  have  ways  and  fashions  which  are  not 
ours,  but  their  nation  is  large  enough  to  entitle 
them  to  a  standard  of  their  own,  just  as  the 
Americans,  with  so  great  a  people  agreed  on  the 
matter,  may  surely  claim  liberty  to  speak  with  a 
twang,  and  to  write  of  a  "  plow." 

It  is  a  mistake  to  say  that  we  Britons  are  a 
silent  people  compared  with  the  French  or 
Americans.  At  some  hundred  sittings  of  the 
table  d'hote  in  both  these  countries  I  have  found 
more  of  dull,  dead  silence  than  in  England  at  our 
inns.  An  Englishman  accustomed  only  to  the 
domestic  chat  of  a  pleasant  dinner  feels  ill  at  ease, 
perhaps,  when  dining  with  strangers,  and  so  he 
notices  their  silence  all  the  more  ;  but  the  purely 
French  table  d'hote  (not  in  the  big  barrack  hotel, 
for  English  tourists,)  has  as  little  general  con- 
versation as  any  dinner  in  England,  and  an 
American  one  has  far  less. 

Here  in  France  come  six  or  seven  middle-class 
men  to  dine.  There  is  the  napkin  kept  for  each 
from  yesterday,  and  recognised  by  the  knots  he 
tied  on  it.  He  puts  it  up  to  his  chin  like  the  pina- 
fore of  a  baby,  and  wipes  plate,  fork,  and  spoon 
with  the  other  end,  and  eats  bits  and  scraps  of 
many  dishes,  and  scrapes  his  plate  almost  clean, 


THE    SUN.  221 

and  then  departs,  and  not   one   word  lias  been 
uttered  all  the  time. 

Again,  there  is  the  vaunted  French  climate. 
Bright  sun,  no  doubt,  but  pray  forget  not 
that  it  is  so  very  bright  as  to  compel  all  rooms  to 
be  darkened  from  ten  to  four  every  day.  At  noon 
the  town  is  like  a  cemetery ;  no  one  thinks  of 
walking,  riding,  or  looking  out  of  his  window  in 
the  heat.  From  seven  to  nine  in  the  mornino^, 
and  from  an  hour  before  sunset  to  any  time  you 
please  at  night,  the  open  air  is  dehcious.  But  in 
a  week  of  our  common  summer  weather  we  see 
more  of  the  sun  in  England  than  in  France,  for 
we  seldom  have  so  much  of  it  at  once  as  to  com- 
pel us  for  six  hours  to  close  our  eyes  against  its 
fierce  rays.  In  fact,  the  sensation  of  life  in  the 
South,  after  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  is  that 
of  icaiting  for  the  cool  hours,  and  so  day  after  day 
is  a  continual  reaching  forward  to  something  about 
to  come ;  whereas,  an  English  day  of  sunshine  is 
an  enjoyable  present  from  beginning  to  end. 
Once  more,  let  it  be  remembered  that  twilight 
lasts  only  for  half  an  hour  in  the  sunny  South  ; 
that  delicious  season  of  musing  and  long  shadows 
is  a  characteristic  of  the  northern  latitudes  which 
very  few  Southerners  have  ever  experienced 
at  all. 

The  run  down  the  Marne  for  about  200  miles 
was  a  pleasant  part  of  the  voyage,  but  not  so  ex- 
citing in  adventure  as  the  paddling  on  unknown 
waters.  Long  days  of  work  could  therefore  be, 
now  well  endured,  for  constant  exercise  had 
trained  the  body,  and  the  Rob  Roy's  paddle  was 
in  my  hands    for  ten  hours   at  a  time   without 


222  RAFTS   AND   FLOCKS. 

weariness,  and  sometimes  even  for  twelve  liours  at 
a  stretch. 

After  a  comfortable  night  at  Chateau  Thierry 
in  the  Elephant  Hotel,  which  is  close  to  the  water, 
I  lowered  my  canoe  from  a  hayloft  into  the  river. 
The  current  gradually  increased,  and  the  vineyards 
gave  place  to  forest  trees.  See,  there  are  the 
rafts,  some  made  of  casks,  lashed  together  with 
osiers,  some  made  of  planks,  others  of  hewn  logs, 
and  others  of  great  rough  trees.  The  straw  hut 
on  each  is  for  the  captain's  cabin,  and  the  crew 
will  have  a  stiff  fortnight's  work  to  drag,  push, 
and  steer  this  congeries  of  wood  on  its  way  to  the 
Seine.  The  labour  spent  merely  in  adjusting  and 
securing  the  parts  is  enormous,  but  labour  of  that 
kind  costs  little  here. 

Further  on  there  is  a  large  flock  of  sheep 
led  to  the  river  to  drink,  in  the  orthodox  pastoral 
manner  of  picture-books,  but  also  driven  by  the 
sagacious  shepherd's  dogs  who  seem  to  know  per- 
fectly that  the  woolly  multitude  has  come  pre- 
cisely to  drink,  and,  therefore,  the  dogs  cleverly 
press  forward  each  particular  sheep,  until  it  has 
got  a  place  by  the  cool  brink  of  the  water.  In 
the  next  quiet  bay  a  village  maid  drives  her  cow 
to  the  river,  and  chats  across  the  water  with 
another,  also  leading  in  a  cow  to  wade  knee  deep, 
and  to  dip  its  broad  nose,  and  lift  it  gently  again 
from  the  cool  stream.  On  the  road  alongside  is  a 
funny  little  waggon,  and  a  whole  family  are  within. 
This  concern  is  actually  drawn  along  by  a  goat. 
Its  little  kid  skips  about,  for  the  time  of  toil 
has  not  yet  come  to  the  youngling,  and  it  had 
better  gambol  now. 


NEWSPAPERS.  223 

But  liere  is  the  bridge  of  Nogent,  so  I  leave  my 
boat  in  charge  of  an  old  man,  and  give  positive 
pleasure  to  the  cook  at  the  auberge  by  ordering  a 
breakfast.  Saints'  portraits  adorn  the  walls,  and 
a  "  sampler  "  which  some  little  girl  had  worked, 
with  only  twenty-five  letters  in  the  alphabet, 
when  the  ^^w"  was  as  yet  ignored  in  classic 
French  grammars,  though  it  has  now  to  be  con- 
stantly used  in  their  common  books  and  news- 
papers. Why,  they  even  adopt  our  sporting  terms, 
and  you  see  in  a  paper  that  such  a  race  was  only 
"  un  Walkover,"  and  that  another  was  likely  to 
be  '^  un  dead  heat." 

And  then  these  French  newspapers,  what  poor 
weaklings  they  are  at  best,  with  each  writer's 
signature  stripping  him  of  his  best  title,  the 
anonymous,  like  an  actor  off  the  boards,  or  a 
fiddler  in  a  frock  coat. 

Perish  that  flimsy  page  with  its  'chocolat' 
and  lotteries  in  huge  letters,  and  its  novelette  at 
the  end!  and  oh!  for  the  goodly  "Times,"  and 
the  dapper  "  News,^'  and  the  ample  "  Standard,^^ 
and  the  blithe  "  Spectator,^^  and  the  Saturday 
Snarl,  and  the  "  thirteenth  'dishun  of  the  ^  Echo,^  '^ 
for  a  halfpenny,  and  twopence  worth  of  impudence, 
cooled  by  its  feebler  circulation.  Is  it  a  very 
naughty  thing  to  smile  this  evening  in  the  face  of 
that  man  who  has  set  the  world  to  rights  this  morn- 
ing by  that  scarifying  leader  he  wrote  last  night  ? 

Suddenly  in  my  quiet  paddling  here  the  sky 
was  shaded,  and  on  looking  up  amazed  I  found  a 
cloud  ;  at  last,  after  six  weeks  of  brilliant  blue  and 
scorching  glare,  one  fold  of  the  fleecy  curtain  has 
been  drawn  over  the  sun.     The  immediate  effect 


224  MILLSTONES. 

of  this  cooler  sky  was  very  invigorating,  and  yet 
after  hot  glare  so  long  beating  from  above,  and 
reflected  upwards  into  my  face  from  the  water, 
it  seemed  the  most  natural  thing  to  be  always  in 
a  blaze  of  light,  though  much  of  the  incon- 
venience of  it  was  avoided  by  a  plan  which  is 
explained  in  the  Appendix,  with  some  other  hints 
to  Boating  Men.  The  day  went  pleasantly  now, 
and  with  only  the  events  of  ordinary  times,  which 
need  not  be  recounted.  The  stream  was  steady, 
the  banks  were  peopled,  and  many  a  blue-bloused 
countryman  stopped  to  look  at  the  canoe  as  she 
ghded  past,  with  the  captain's  socks  and  canvas 
shoes  on  the  deck  behind  him,  for  this  was  his 
drying-place  for  any  wet  clothes. 

JSow  and  then  a  pleasure-boat  was  seen,  and 
there  were  several  canoes  at  some  of  the  towns, 
but  all  of  them  flat-bottomed  and  open,  and  des- 
perately unsafe — well  named  "  perissoires."  Some 
of  these  were  made  of  metal,  the  use  of  which  is  a 
great  mistake  for  any  boat  under  ten  tons,  for  in 
all  such  cases  metal  is  much  heavier  than  wood 
of  the  same  strength,  considering  the  strains  which 
a  boat  must  expect  to  undergo. 

"  La  Ferte  sous  Jouarre  "  was  the  long  name 
of  the  next  stopping-place.  There  are  several 
towns  called  by  the  name  La  Ferte  (La  Fortifiee), 
which  in  some  measure  corresponds  with  the  ter- 
mination "caster"  or  "cester"  of  English  names. 
Millstones  are  the  great  specialty  of  this  La 
Ferte.  A  good  millstone  costs  50/.,  and  there 
is  a  large  exportation  of  them.  The  material 
has  the  very  convenient  property  of  not  requir- 
ing to  be  chipped   into  holes,  as   these  exist  in 


.    HOT   WIND.  225 

tliis  stone  naturally.  At  La  Ferte  I  put  the  boat 
into  a  hayloft ;  and  at  dinner  with  me  there  was 
an  intelligent  and  hungry  bourgeois  from  Paris, 
with  his  vulgar  and  hearty  wife,  and  opposite  to 
them  the  gossip  of  the  town,  who  kept  rattling 
on  the  stupid,  endless  fiddle-faddle  of  everybody's 
doings,  sayings,  failings,  and  earnings.  Some 
amusement,  however,  resulted  from  the  collision 
of  two  gossips  at  our  table  of  four  guests,  for 
while  the  one  always  harped  upon  family  tales  of 
La  Ferte,  its  local  statistics,  and  the  minute  say- 
ings of  its  people,  the  other  kept  struggKng  to 
turn  our  thoughts  to  shoes  and  slippers,  for  he 
was  a  commercial  traveller  with  a  cartful  of  boots. 
But,  after  all,  how  much  of  our  conversation  in 
better  life  is  only  of  the  same  kind,  though  upon 
larger,  or  at  any  rate  other  things ;  what  would 
sound  trifles  to  our  British  Cabinet  might  be  the 
loftiest  politics  of  Honolulu. 

Starting  early  next  day  I  felt  an  unaccountable 
languor;  my  arms  were  tired,  and  my  energy 
seemed,  for  the  first  time,  deficient.  This  was  the 
result  of  a  week's  hard  exercise,  and  of  a  sudden 
change  of  wind  to  the  South.  Give  me  our 
English  climate  for  real  hard  work  to  prosper  in. 
One  generally  associates  the  idea  of  north  wind 
with  cool  and  bracing  air,  and  certainly  in  the 
Mediterranean  it  is  the  change  of  wind  to  the 
south,  the  hated  sirocco,  that  enervates  the 
traveller  at  once.  But  this  north  wind  on  the 
Marne  came  over  a  vast  plain  of  arid  land  heated 
by  two  months  of  scorching  sun,  whereas  the 
breezes  of  last  week,  though  from  the  east,  had 
been  tempered  in  passing  over  the  mountains  of 

Q 


226  OLD    SOLDIER. 

the  Yosges.  Forty- two  miles  lay  before  me  to  be 
accomplished  before  arriving  to-night  at  my  rest- 
ing-place for  Sunday,  and  it  was  not  a  pleasant 
prospect  to  contemplate  with  stiff  muscles  in  the 
shoulders.  However,  after  twelve  miles  I  found 
that  some  turnings  of  the  river  could  be  cut 
off  by  putting  the  boat  on  a  cart,  and  thus  a  league 
of  walking  and  35.  4:d.  of  payment  solved  the 
difficulty.  The  old  man  with  his  cart  was  in- 
teresting to  talk  to,  and  we  spoke  about  those 
deeper  subjects  which  are  of  common  interest  to 
aU. 

At  a  turn  in  the  road  we  came  to  a  cart  over- 
turned and  a  little  crowd  round  it,  while  the  earth 
was  covered  with  a  pool  of  what  seemed  to  be 
blood,  but  was  only  wine.  The  cart  had  struck  a 
tree,  and  the  wine-cask  on  it  had  instantly  burst, 
which  so  frightened  the  horse  that  he  overset  the 
cart.  The  Rob  Roy  was  soon  in  the  water  again, 
and  amid  scenery  much  more  enjoyable.  I  found 
an  old  soldier  at  a  ferry  who  fetched  me  a  bottle 
of  wine,  and  then  he  and  his  wife  sat  in  their 
leaky,  flat,  green-painted  boat,  and  we  all  became 
very  great  friends.  He  had  been  at  the  taking 
of  Constantino  in  Algeria,  a  place  which  really 
does  look  quite  impossible  to  be  taken  by  storm  ; 
but  the  appearance  of  a  fortress  is  deceptive 
except  to  the  learned  in  such  matters.  Who 
would  think  that  the  concealed  fortress  of  Comorn, 
in  Hungary,  is  stronger  far  than  Constantino  ? 

Meanwhile,  a  breeze  has  freshened  up,  and 
wafted  me  to  Meaux,  so  that  the  day,  begun  with 
forebodings,  ends  as  easy  and  as  pleasant  as  the 
rest. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


Blacksmith  —  Holy  "Water — Quaint  Questions  —  Unpro- 
tected Female — Grave  Gazers-  -Wrong  Ways — The 
Boys,  the  Boys — Bends  of  the  Marne — Last  Mooring 
— The  Seine — Paris — Home. 


Now  rises  tlie  moon  so  clear,  tliat  we  can't  see  a 
*'man  in  the  moon/'  but  under  the  pale,  quiet 
radiance  there  is  a  party  of  guests  at  a  wedding 
dinner.  The  younger  portion  of  the  company- 
adjourn  to  the  garden  and  let  off  squibs  and 
crackers,  while  some  signal  lights  are  shown  from 
my  window,  and  cheers  resound  as  the  EngHsh- 
man  illumines  the  neighbourhood.  Next  day  the 
same  people  all  assembled  for  the  marriage  break- 
fast, and  sherry,  Madeira,  and  champagne  flowed 
from  the  well-squeezed  purse  of  the  bride's  happy- 
father. 

One  may  notice  that  in  a  village  the  last  sound 
to  give  way  to  the  stillness  of  evening  is  that  of 
the  blacksmith's  hammer,  which  is  oftener  heard 
abroad  than  at  home.  Perhaps  this  is  because 
much  of  their  execrable  French  ironwork  is  made 
separately  in  every  town ;  whereas  in  England  it 
is  manufactured  at  special  places  by  machinery. 
At   any  rate,  after   you   have   travelled   on  the 

Q  2 


228  HOLY   WATER. 

Continent  long  enough,  to  become  calm  and  ob- 
servant, and  to  see,  hear,  and  scent  what  is 
around,  there  is  sure  to  be  a  picture  in  the 
memory  full  of  blue  dresses,  white  stones,  jingling 
of  bells,  and  the  "cling,  cling"  of  the  never  idle 
blacksmith. 

This  town  o£  Meaux  has  a  bridge  with  houses 
on  it,  and  great  mill-wheels  filling  up  the  arches 
as  they  did  in  old  London-bridge.  Pleasant 
gardens  front  the  river,  and  cafes  glitter  there  at 
night.  These  are  not  luxuries  but  positive  neces- 
saries of  life  for  the  Frenchman,  and  it  is  the 
absence  of  these  in  new  countries  which  is  one 
chief  cause  why  the  Frenchman  is  so  bad  a  colonist, 
for  he  has  only  the  expression  "with  me"  for 
"home,"  and  no  word  for  "wife  "  but  "  woman." 

The  cathedral  of  Meaux  is  grand  and  old,  and 
see  how  they  masquerade  the  service  in  it !  Look 
at  the  gaunt  "  Suisse,"  with  his  cocked  hat  kept 
on  in  church,  and  his  sword  and  spear.  The 
twenty  priests  and  twelve  red-surpliced  boys  intone 
to  about  as  many  hearers.  A  monk  makes  believe 
to  sprinkle  holy  water  on  all  sides  from  that  dirty 
plasterer's  brush,  and  then  two  boys  carry  on  their 
shoulders  a  huge  round  loaf,  the  "pain  benit," 
which,  after  fifty  bowings,  is  blessed,  and  escorted 
back  to  be  cut  up,  and  is  then  given  in  morsels  to 
the  congregation.  These  endless  ceremonies  are 
the  meshes  of  the  net  of  Popery,  and  they  are 
well  woven  to  catch  many  French  flies  and  other 
folks  who  must  have  action,  show,  the  visible 
tangible  outside,  whatever  may  be  meant  by  it. 

Some  form,  of  course,  there  must  be  in  worship. 
One  may  suppose,  indeed,  that  perfect  spirit  can 


QUAINT    QUESTIONS.  229 

adore  God  without  attitude,  or  even  any  sequence 
or  change.  Yet  in  the  Bible  we  hear  of  Seraphs 
veiling  their  bodies  with  their  wings,  and  of 
Elders  prostrate  at  certain  times,  and  Saints  that 
have  a  litany  even  in  heaven.  Mortals,  too,  must 
have  some  form  of  adoration,  but  there  is  the 
question.  How  much?  and  on  this  great  point 
how  many  wise  and  foolish  men  have  written 
books  without  end ! 

The  riverside  of  the  Marne  was  a  good  place 
for  a  quiet  Sunday  walk.  Here  a  flock  of  300 
sheep  had  come  to  drink,  and  to  nibble  at  the 
flowers  hanging  over  the  water,  and  the  simple- 
hearted  shepherd  stood  looking  on  while  his  dogs 
rushed  backward  and  forward,  evidently  yearning 
for  some  sheep  to  do  wrong,  that  their  dog  service 
might  be  required  to  prevent  or  to  punish  naughty 
conduct.  This  ^^  Berger  "  inquires  whether  Eng- 
land is  near  Africa,  and  how  large  our  legs  of 
mutton  are,  and  if  we  have  sheep-dogs,  and  are 
there  any  rivers  in  our  island  on  the  sea.  Mean- 
while at  the  hotel  the  marriage  party  kept  on 
breakfasting,  even  until  four  o'clock,  and  non- 
melodious  songs  were  sung.  The  French,  as  a 
people,  do  not  excel  in  vocal  music,  either  in  tone 
or  in  harmony,  but  they  are  precise  in  time. 

Afloat  again  next  morning,  and  quite  refreshed, 
we  prepare  for  a  long  day's  work.  The  stream 
was  now  clear,  and  the  waving  tresses  of  dark 
green  weeds  gracefully  curved  under  water,  while 
islands  amid  deep  shady  bays  varied  the  landscape 
above.  There  are  three  hemispheres  of  scenery 
visible  to  the  traveller  who  voyages  thus  in  a  boat 
on  the  rivers.     First,  the  great  arch  of  sky,  and 


230  UNPROTECTED    FEMALE. 

land,  and  trees,  and  flowers  down  to  tlie  water's 
brink ;  then  the  whole  of  this  reflected  beautifully 
in  the  surface  of  the  river ;  and  then  again  the 
wondrous  depths  in  the  water  itself,  with  its 
animal  life,  its  rocks  and  glades  below,  and  its 
flowers  and  mosses  underneath. 

I  saw  a  canal  lock  open,  and  paddled  in  merely 
for  variety,  passing  soon  into  a  tunnel,  in  the 
middle  of  which  there  was  a  huge  boat  fixed, 
and  nobody  with  it.  The  boat  exactly  filled  the 
tunnel,  and  the  men  had  gone  to  their  dinner,  so  I 
had  first  to  drag  their  huge  boat  out,  and  then 
the  canoe  proudly  glided  into  daylight,  having  a 
whole  tunnel  to  itself.  At  Lagny,  where  we  were 
to  breakfast,  I  left  the  Eob  Roy  with  a  nice  old 
gentleman,  who  was  fishing  in  a  nightcap  and 
spectacles,  and  he  assured  me  he  would  stop  there 
two  hours.  But  when  I  scrambled  back  to  it 
through  the  mill  (startling  the  miller's  men 
among  their  wholesome  dusty  sacks),  the  discon- 
solate canoe  was  found  all  alone,  the  first  time 
she  had  been  left  in  a  town  an  "unprotected 
female." 

To  escape  a  long  serpent  wind  of  the  river,  we 
entered  another  canal  and  found  it  about  a  foot 
deep,  with  clear  water  flowing  pleasantly.  This 
seemed  to  be  very  fortunate,  and  we  enjoyed  it 
most  thoroughly  for  a  few  miles,  little  knowing 
what  was  to  come.  But  weeds  began,  then  clumps 
of  great  rushes,  then  large  bushes  and  trees,  all 
growing  with  thick  grass  in  the  water,  and  at 
length  this  got  so  dense  that  the  prospect  before 
me  was  precisely  like  a  very  large  hayfield,  with 
grass  four  feet  high,  all  ready  to  be  mowed,  but 


GRAVE    GAZEKS. 


231 


"Canal  Miseries." 


whicli  had  to  be  tediously  rowed  through.  This 
on  a  hot  day  without  wind,  and  in  a  long  vista, 
unbroken  by  a  man  or  a  house,  or  anything  lively, 
was  rather  daunting,  but  we  had  gone  too  far  to 
recede  with  honour,  and  so  by  dint  of  pushing 
and  working  I  actually  got  the  boat  through  some 
miles  of  this  novel  obstruction  (known  only  this 
dry  summer),  and  brought  her  safe  and  sound 
again  to  the  river. 

At  one  place  there  was  a  bridge  over  this  marsh, 
and  two  men  happened  to  be  going  over  it  as  the 
canoe  came  near.  They  soon  called  to  some 
neighbours,  and  the  row  of  spectators  exhibited 
the  faculty  so  notable  in  French  people  and  so 
rarely  found  with  us,  that  of  being  able  to  keep 
from  laughing   right   out   at  a   foreigner  in  an. 


232  "WRONG   WAYS. 

awkward  case.  The  absurd  sight  of  a  man  paddling 
a  boat  amid  miles  of  thick  rushes  was  indeed  a 
severe  test  of  courteous  gravity.  However,  I 
must  say  that  the  labour  required  to  penetrate  this 
marsh  was  far  less  than  one  would  suppose  from 
the  appearance  of  the  place.  The  sharp  point  of 
the  boat  entered,  and  its  smooth  sides  followed 
through  hedges  of  aquatic  plants,  and,  on  the 
whole — after  all  was  done — the  trouble  and  mus- 
cular effort  of  this  passage  was  better  than  the 
monotonous  calm  of  sailing  on  a  canal.* 

Fairly  in  the  broad  river  again,  the  Rob  E-oy 
came  to  Neuilly,  and  it  was  plain  that  my  Sunday 
rest  had  enabled  over  thirty  miles  to  be  accom- 
plished without  any  fatigue  at  the  end.  The 
canoe  went  to  bed  in  a  summer-house,  and  her 
crew  in  a  garret,  where  they  could  not  stand  up- 
right— the  only  occasion  where  we  were  badly 
housed,  misled  by  the  sign  of  "The  Jolly  Rowers." 
ISText  day  the  river  flowed  fast  again,  and  nume- 
rous islands  made  the  channels  very  difficult  to 
find.  The  worst  of  these  troubles  is  that  you 
cannot  prepare  for  them.  JSTo  map  gives  any  just 
idea  of  your  route,  and  the  people  on  the  river 
itself  are  profoundly  ignorant  of  its  navigation  ; 
for  instance,  in  starting,  my  landlord  told  me  that 
in  two  hours  we  should  reach  Paris ;  after  ten 
miles  an  intelligent  man  said,  "  Distance  from 
Paris  ?  it  is  six  hours  from  here ;  "  while  a  third 
informed  me  a  little  further  on,  "  It  is  just  three 
leagues  and  a  half  from  this  spot." 

*  The  remembrance  of  this  last  year  enabled  the  Rob 
Roy  to  penetrate  successfully  the  dense  jungle  of  the  vast 
marsh  at  the  mouth  of  the  Abana,  east  of  Damascus. 


THE    BOYS,    THE    BOYS.  233 

The  banks  were  now  dotted  witli  villas,  and 
numerous  pleasure-boats  were  moored  at  neat  little 
stairs.  The  vast  number  of  these  boats  quite  as- 
tonished me,  yet  very  few  of  them  were  ever  to  be 
seen  in  actual  use.  The  French  are  certainly  in- 
genious in  their  boat-making,  but  more  of  ingenuity 
than  of  practical  exercise  is  seen  on  the  water. 
On  several  rivers  we  remarked  the  "  walking 
machine,"  in  which  a  man  can  mal-ch  on  the  water 
by  fixing  two  small  boats  on  his  feet.  A  curious 
mode  of  rowing  with  your  face  to  the  bows  has 
lately  been  invented  by  a  Frenchman.* 

We  breakfasted  at  a  new  canal  cutting,  and  as 
there  were  many  gamins  about,  I  fastened  a  stone 
to  my  painter,  and  so  left  the  E,ob  Roy  in  the 
middle  of  the  river,  moored  within  sight  of  the 
arbour  where  I  sat,  and  also  within  sight  of  the 
ardent-eyed  boys  who  gazed  for  hours  with  wistful 
looks  on  the  tiny  craft.  Their  desire  to  handle  as 
well  as  to  see  is  only  natural  for  these  little  fel- 
lows, and  therefore,  if  the  lads  behave  well,  I 
always  make  a  point  of  showing  them  the  whole 
affair  quite  near,  after  they  have  had  to  abstain 
from  it  so  long  as  a  forbidden  pleasure. 

Strange  that  this  quick  curiosity  of  French 
boys  does  not  ripen  more  of  them  into  travellers, 
but  it  soon  gets  expended  in  trifling  details  of  a 
narrow  circle,  while  the  sober,  sedate,  nay,  the 
triste  Anglian  is  found  scurrying  over  the  world 
with  a  carpet-bag,  and-pushing  his  way  in  foreign 
crowds  without  one  word  of  their  language,  and 

'  *  Described  in  "  Tlie  Voyage  Alone  in  the  Yawl  Eob 
Eoy,"  when  onr  little  three-ton  yacht  visited  Paris  for  the 
Exhibition  of  1867. 


234  BENDS    OF    THE   MARNE. 

all  the  while  as  merry  as  a  lark.  Among  the  odd 
modes  of  locomotion  adopted  by  Englishmen,  we 
have  already  mentioned  that  of  the  gentleman 
(now  a  member  of  the  Canoe  Club)  who  was  tra- 
velHng  in  Germany  with  a  four-in-hand  and  two 
spare  horses.  We  met  another  Briton  who  had 
made  a  tour  in  a  road  locomotive  which  he  bought 
for  700/.,  and  sold  again  at  the  same  price.  One 
more  John  Bull,  who  regarded  the  canoe  as  a 
"queer  conveyance/'  went  himself  abroad  on  a 
velocipede.  None  of  these,  however,  could  cross 
seas,  lakes,  and  rivers  like  the  canoe,  wherever  a 
man  could  walk  or  a  plank  could  swim. 

It  seemed  contrary  to  nature  that,  after  thus 
nearing  pretty  Paris,  one's  back  was  now  to  be 
turned  upon  it  for  hours  in  order  to  have  a  wide, 
vague,  purposeless  voyage  into  country  parts.  But 
the  river  willed  it  so ;  for  here  a  great  curve  began 
and  led  off  to  the  left,  while  the  traffic  of  the  Marne 
went  straight  through  a  canal  to  the  right, — 
through  a  canal,  and  therefore  the  Bob  Boy  would 
not  follow  it  there. 

The  river  got  less  and  less  in  volume ;  its  water 
was  used  for  the  canal,  and  with  its  maimed 
strength  it  could  scarcely  trickle  through  a 
spacious  sweep  of  country  life.  In  this  long 
round-about  we  were  often  grounded,  or  entangled 
in  soft  mossy  weeds,  or  fastened  in  overhanging 
trees,  and,  in  fact,  suffered  all  the  evils  which  the 
smallest  brook  could  entail,  though  this  was  the 
bed  of  a  mighty  river.  The  bend  of  its  course 
was  more  and  more  inexplicable,  as  it  turned 
more  round  and  round,  until  my  face  was  full  in 
the  sunlight  at  noon,  and  I  saw  that  the  course 


LAST   MOORING.  235 

was  now  due  south.  Rustics  were  there  to  look 
at  me,  and  wondering  herdsmen  too,  as  if  the  boat 
was  in  mid  Germany,  instead  of  being  close  to 
Paris.  Evidently  boating  men  in  that  quarter 
never  came  here  by  the  river,  and  the  E-ob  Roy 
was  a  vara  avis  floating  on  a  stream  unused. 

But  the  circle  was  rounded  at  last,  as  all  circles 
are ;  and  we  got  back  to  the  common  route,  to 
civilization,  fishing  men  and  fishing  women,  and 
on  open  water  in  the  broad  Marne  once  more  I 
stopped  for  a  rest  and  a  ponder. 

And  now  we  unmoor  for  the  last  time,  and  enter 
the  E/ob  Roy  for  her  final  trip — the  last  few  miles 
of  the  Marne,  and  of  more  than  a  thousand  miles 
paddled  and  sailed  since  we  started.  I  will  not 
disguise  my  feeling  of  sadness  then,  that  the  end 
had  come  so  soon. 

So  when  the  murmuring  stream  glided  into  the 
Seine  I  found  a  cool  bank  to  lie  upon  under  the 
trees,  with  my  boat  gently  rocking  in  the  ripples 
below,  and  the  near  sound  of  a  great  city  telling 
that  Paris  was  at  hand. 

"  Here,"  said  I,  "  and  now  is  my  last  hour  of 
life  savage  and  free.  Sunny  days,  alone,  but  not 
solitary ;  worked,  but  not  weary  " — as  in  a  dream 
the  things,  places,  and  men  I  had  seen  for  months 
past  now  floated  before  my  eyes  half  closed.  The 
panorama  was  wide  and  fair  to  the  mind's  eye ; 
but  it  had  a  tale  always  the  same  as  it  rolled 
quickly  past — that  vacation  was  over,  and  work 
must  begin. 

Up,  then,  for  this  is  not  a  life  of  mere  enjoy- 
ment. Again  into  the  harness  of  "  polite  society," 
the  hat,  the   collar,    the  braces,  the  gloves,  the 


236  THE    SEINE. 

waistcoat,  the  latch-key — perhaps,  the  razor — 
certainly  the  umbrella.  How  every  joint  and  limb 
will  rebel  against  these  manacles,  but  they  must  be 
endured ! 

The  gradual  approach  to  Paris  by  gliding  down 
the  Seine  was  altogether  a  new  sensation.  By 
diligence,  railway,  or  steamer,  you  have  nothing 
like  it — not  certainly  by  walking  into  Paris  along 
a  dusty  road.  For  now  we  are  smoothly  carried 
on  a  wide  and  winding  river,  with  nothing  to  do 
but  to  look  and  to  listen  while  the  splendid  pano- 
rama majestically  unfolds.  Yillas  thicken,  gardens 
get  smaller  as  houses  are  closer,  trees  get  fewer  as 
walls  increase.  Barges  line  the  banks,  commerce 
and  its  movement,  luxury  and  its  adornment, 
spires  and  cupolas  grow  out  of  the  dim  horizon, 
and  then  bridges  seem  to  float  towards  me,  and 
the  hum  of  life  gets  deeper  and  busier,  while  the 
pretty  httle  prattling  of  the  river  stream  yields  to 
the  roar  of  traffic,  and  to  that  indescribable  thrill 
which  throbs  in  the  air  around  this  the  capital  of 
the  Continent,  the  centre  of  the  politics,  the  focus 
of  the  pleasure  and  the  splendour  of  the  world. 

In  passing  the  island  at  Notre  Dame  I  fortu- 
nately took  the  proper  side,  but  even  then  we  found 
a  very  awkward  rush  of  water  under  the  bridges. 
This  was  caused  by  the  extreme  lowness  of  the 
river,  which  on  this  very  day  was  three  feet  lower 
than  in  the  memory  of  man.  The  fall  over  each 
barrier,  though  wide  enough,  was  so  shallow  at 
the  last  bridge  that  the  crowd  above  me  evidently 
calculated  upon  my  being  upset ;  and  they  were 
nearly  right  too.  The  absence  of  other  boats  also 
showed  that  some  great  difficulty  was  at  hand,  but 


PARIS.  237^ 

I  remarked  tliat  by  far  the  greater  number  of  ob- 
servers had  collected  over  one  particular  arch, 
where  at  first  there  seemed  to  be  the  very  worst 
chance  for  getting  through. 

By  logical  deduction  I  argued  from  this,  "  That 
arch  must  be  the  best  after  all,  for  they  evidently 
expect  me  to  try  it,"  and,  with  a  horrid  presenti- 
ment that  my  first  upset  was  to  be  at  my  last 
bridge,  I  boldly  dashed  forward — whirl,  whirl 
the  waves,  and  grate — grate — my  iron  keel ;  but 
the  Rob  Roy  rises  to  the  occasion,  and  a  reward- 
ing Bravo !  from  the  Frenchmen  above  is 
answered  by  a  British  "  All  right  "  from  the  Bob' 
Boy  below. 

No  town  was  so  hard  to  find  a  place  for  the 
canoe  in  as  this  bright,  gay  Paris.  We  went  to 
the  floating  baths  ;  they  would  not  have  me.  We 
paddled  to  the  funny  old  ship  ;  they  shook  their 
heads.  We  tried  a  coal  wharf;  but  they  were 
only  civil  there.  Even  the  worthy  washerwomen, 
my  quondam  friends,  were  altogether  callous  now 
about  a  harbour  for  the  canoe.  In  desperation  we 
paddled  to  a  bath  that  was  being  repaired,  but 
when  my  boat  rounded  the  corner  it  was  met  by 
a  volley  of  abuse  from  the  proprietor  for  disturb- 
ing his  fishing ;  he  was  in  the  act  of  closing  in 
deadly  struggle  with  a  goiijon. 

Belenting  at  last  as  we  told  the  Bob  Boy's  tal($, 
he  housed  her  there  for  the  night ;  and  I 
shouldered  my  luggage  and  wended  my  way  to  an 
hotel. 

Here  is  Meurice's,  with  the  homeward  tide  of 
Britons  from  every  Alp  and  cave  of  Europe  flow- 
ing through  its  salons.     Here  are  the  gay  streets. 


238 


HOME. 


too  white  to  be  looked  at  in  the  sun,  and  the 
poupee  theatres  under  the  trees,  and  the  dandies 
so  stiff  in  hired  carriages,  and  the  dapper  little 
soldiers,  and  the  tinkling  horse-bells,  and  the 
gilded  cafes. 

Yes,  it  is  Paris — and  more  brilliant  than  ever ! 

I  faintly  tried  to  hope,  but  I  could  not  believe 
that  any  person  there  had  enjoyed  his  summer 
months  with  such  deHght  as  the  captain,  the 
purser,  the  ship's  cook,  and  cabin-boy  of  the  Rob 
E-oy  canoe. 

Eight  francs  take  the  boat  by  rail  to  Calais. 
Two  shillings  take  her  thence  to  Dover.  The  rail- 
way takes  her  free  to  Charing  Cross,  and  there 
two  porters  put  her  in  the  Thames  again. 

A  flowing  tide,  on  a  sunny  evening,  bears  her 
fast  and  cheerily  straight  to  Searle's,  there  to  de- 
bark the  Rob  Roy's  cargo  safe  and  sound  and 
thankful,  and  to  plant  once  more  upon  the  shore 
of  Old  England 

The  flag  that  braved  a  thousand  miles, 
The  rapid  and  the  snag. 


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^ 


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London  Saurnpson  Low,  Son  ^ Mai sion, Milton  Hou£e,Ludgate  Hill.  April,  1866 


Vincent  Brooks  Iith  IcndiX-, 


APPENDIX. 


GOSSIP  ASHORE  ABOUT  THINGS  AFLOAT. 

Different  Canoes — Speed — Stores — Rocks  and  Currents — Note 
on  "The  Kent" — Canoeing — The  paddle,  rudder,  leeboards, 
centre-board,  apron,  stretcher,  ballast,  sails,  portable  canvas 
— Sun—  Caution — Weeds. 

Those  who  intend  to  "  canoe  it "  on  tlie  Continent 
will  probably  feel  interested  in  some  of  the  following 
information,  while  other  readers  of  these  pages  may 
be  indulgent  enough  to  excuse  the  relation  of  a  few 
particulars  and  technical  details. 

The  description  of  the  best  kind  of  ordinary  travel- 
ling canoe  will  be  found  in  the  "Rob  Roy  on  the. 
Baltic."  The  "Sleeping  Canoe"  is  described  in  the 
"  Rob  Roy  on  the  Jordan. "  For  high  speed  in  paddling 
or  sailing  you  may  have  a  special  canoe,  but  the  Rob 
Roy  form  is  for  general  comfort  and  convenience  in 
rough  travelling.  The  pedestrian  tourist  does  not  want 
to  run  on  land,  but  to  walk  and  climb.  The  best 
hunter  may  not  be  the  fastest  horse.  The  Rob  Roy 
is  like  a  cob  or  a  hunter,  not  a  racehorse,  and  she  can 
soon  outstrip  any  row-boat  if  the  two  are  to  go 
"  across  country."  The  300  canoes  of  the  Canoe  Club 
maybe  divided  into  three  kinds — "Racers,"  "Light- 
boats,"  and  "  Rob  Roys."     The  Racer  is  for  speed  in 


240  APPENDIX. 

smooth  water,  and  from  18  to  25  feet  long,  with  a  long, 
broad  paddle.  The  light  canoe  is  about  18  feet  long. 
The  E-ob  Roj  paddles,  sails,  and  carries  through  rough 
seas  and  rivers,  and  across  sand  or  snow,  or  hills  or 
rocky  dells,  or  on  a  horse  or  in  a  railway.  The  com- 
parative speed  of  the  three  kinds  of  canoes  may  be 
estimated  as  follows  : — On  still  water  a  Kacer  will 
paddle  a  mile  in  8  minutes,  a  light  canoe  in  9  minutes, 
and  a  Rob  Eoy  in  10  minutes.  The  long  race  of  llf 
miles  (with  tide)  in  1870  was  won  by  a  Rob  Roy  in  93^ 
minutes,  and  5  miles  in  rough  water  was  sailed  by  a 
Rob  Roy  in  33  minutes. 


LIST    OF    STORES    ON   BOAED    THE   ROB   ROY. 

1.  Useful  Stores. — Paddle,  painter  (31  feet  at  first, 
but  cut  down  to  20  feet),  sponge,  waterproof  cover,  5 
feet  by  2  feet  3  inches,  silk  blue  union  jack,  10  inches 
by  8  inches,  on  a  staff  two  feet  long.  Mast,  boom,  and 
yard.  Lug  sail,  jib,  and  s]?are  jib  (used  as  a  sun  shawl). 
Stretcher,  two  back  boards,  floor  boards,  basket  holding  a 
macintosh  coat.  For  repairs — iron  and  brass  screws, 
sheet  copper  and  copper  nails,  putty  and  whitelead,  a 
gimlet,  cord,  string,  and  thread,  one  spare  button, 
needle,  pins,  canvas  wading  shoes  (wooden  clogs  would 
be  better) ;  all  the  above  should  be  left  with  the  boat. 
Black  bag  for  3  months'  luggage,  size,  12  inches  by  12 
inches,  by  5  inches  deep  (just  right),  closed  by  three 
buttons,  and  with  shoulder-strap.  Flannel  Norfolk 
jacket  (flaps  not  too  long,  else  they  dip  in  the  water, 
or  the  pockets  are  inverted  in  getting  out  and  in)  ; 
wide  flannel  trousers,  gathered  by  a  broad  back  buckle 
belt,  second  trousers  for  shore  should  have  braces,  but 
LQ  the  boat  the  back  buttons  are  in  the  way.     Flannel 


APPENDIX.  241 

shirt  on,  and  another  for  shore.  Before  me  while 
writing  this  there  are  21  various  head  covers  used  in 
different  tours,  but  for  boating  the  straw  hat  is  best  of 
all.  Thin  alpaca  black  Sunday  coat,  thick  waistcoat, 
black  leather  light-soled  spring-sided  shoes  (should  be 
strong  for  rocks  and  village  pavements);  cloth  cap  (only 
used  as  a  bag),  2  collars,  8  pocket  handkerchiefs,  ribbon 
tie,  2  pair  of  cotton  socks  (easily  got  off  for  sudden 
wading,  and  drying  quickly  on  deck).  Brush,  comb, 
and  tooth-brush.  Testament,  passport  (scarcely  needed 
now),  leather  purse,  large  (and  full),  circular  notes, 
small  change  in  silver  and  copper  for  frequent  use,  blue 
spectacles  in  strong  case,  book  for  journal  and  sketches, 
black,  blue,  and  red  chalk,  and  steel  pen.  Maps, 
cutting  off  a  six  inch  square  at  a  time  for  pocket  refer- 
ence. Pipe,  tobacco-case,  and  light-box.  Guide-books 
and  pleasant  evening  reading  book.  Cut  off  covers  and 
useless  pages,  and  every  page  as  read ;  no  needless 
weight  should  be  carried  hundreds  of  miles ;  even  a  fly 
settling  on  the  boat  must  be  refused  a  free  passage. 
Illustrated  papers,  tracts,  and  anecdotes  in  French  and 
German  for  Sunday  reading  and  daily  distribution  (far 
too  few  had  been  taken,  they  were  always  well  re- 
ceived). Medicine  (rhubarb  and  court  plaister),  small 
knife,  and  pencil.* 

2.  Useless  Articles. — Boathook,  undervest,  water- 
proof helmet  ventilated  cap,  foreign  Conversation  books, 
seltzer  bottle  and  flask,  tweezers  for  thorns. 

3.  Lost  or  Stolen  Articles. — Bag  for  back  cushion, 
waterproof  bag  for  sitting  cushion,  long  knife,  necktie, 
woven  waistcoat,  box  of  quinine,  steel-hafted  knife. 
These,  except  the  last,  were  not  missed.  I  bought 
another  thick  waistcoat  from  a  Jew. 


*  Messrs.  Silver's,  in  Bishopsgate,  is  the  place  for  stores.  Mr» 
Hepburn,  of  Chancery-lane,  makes  the  Eob  Roy  cuisine. 


242  APPENDIX. 


ROCKS  AND   CURRENTS. 

Even  if  a  set  of  rules  could  be  laid  down  for  the 
management  of  a  boat  in  the  difficult  parts  of  a  river, 
it  would  not  be  made  easier  until  practice  has  given 
the  boatman  that  quick  judgment  as  to  their  applica- 
tion which  has  to  be  patiently  acquired  in  all  athletic 
exercises. 

But  the  canoeist,  who  passes  many  hours  daily  in  the 
consideration  of  the  river  problems  always  set  before 
him,  will  feel  some  interest  in  this  attempt  to  classify 
those  that  occur  most  frequently. 

Steering  a  boat  in  a  current  among  rocks  is  like 
walking  on  a  crowded  pavement,  where  the  other  pas- 
sengers are  going  in  various  directions,  and  at  various 
speeds.  A  great  deal  of  practice,  and  lessons  enforced 
by  collisions,  are  needed  to  make  a  pedestrian  au  fait 
in  a  crowd.  But  yeai-s  of  walking  produce  a  certain 
power,  which  insensibly  directs  a  man  in  his  course 
and  his  speed. 

After  this  capacity  becomes,  as  it  were,  instinctive, 
a  man  can  walk  briskly  along  Fleet-street  at  four  p.m., 
and,  without  any  distinct  thought  about  other  people, 
or  about  his  own  progress,  he  can  safe  get  to  the  end. 
Indeed,  if  he  does  begin  to  think  of  rules  or  how  to 
apply  them,  he  is  almost  sure  to  knock  up  against 
somebody.  Nay,  if  two  men  meet  as  they  walkthrough 
a  crowd,  and  each  of  them  "  catches  the  eye  "  of  the 
other,  they  will  probably  cease  to  move  instinctively, 
and,  with  uncertain  data  to  reason  from,  a  collision  is 
often  the  result. 

The  importance  of  this  subject  of  "  boating  instinct  " 
will  be  considered  sufficient  to  justify  these  remarks 
"when  the  canoeist  has  by  much  practice  at  last  attained 


APPENDIX.  243 

to  that  desirable  proficiency  which  enables  him  to 
steer  without  thinking  about  it,  and  therefore  to  enjoy 
the  conversation  of  other  people  on  the  bank,  or  the 
scenery,  while  he  is  rapidly  speeding  through  rocks, 
eddies,  and  currents. 

As  the  descent  of  a  current  among  rocks  resembles 
a  walk  along  the  pavement  through  a  crowd,  so  the 
passage  across  a  rapid  is  even  more  strictly  in  resem- 
blance with  the  course  of  a  man  who  has  to  cross  a 
street  where  vehicles  are  passing  at  uncertain  intervals 
and  at  various  speeds,  though  all  in  the  same  direc- 
tion. For  it  is  plain  that  the  thing  to  be  done  is 
nearly  the  same,  whether  the  obstacles  (as  breakers) 
are  fixed  and  the  current  carries  you  towards  them,  or 
the  obstacles  (as  cabs  and  carts)  are  moving,  while  you 
have  to  walk  through  them  on  terra  firma.  To  cross 
Park-lane  in  the  afternoon  requires  the  very  same  sort 
of  calculation  as  the  passage  across  the  stream  in  a 
rapid  on  the  Khine. 

We  may  divide  the  rocks  thus  encountered  in  fast 
water  into  two  classes — (1)  Those  that  are  sunk,  so 
that  the  boat  may  possibly  float  over  them,  and  which 
do  not  deflect  the  direction  of  the  surface  current. 
(2)  Those  that  are  breakers,  and  so  deflect  the  current, 
and  do  not  allow  the  boat  to  float  over  them.  The 
currents  may  be  divided  into — (1)  Those  that  are 
equable  in  force,  and  in  the  same  direction  through  the 
course  to  be  steered.  (2)  Those  that  alter  their  direc- 
tion in  a  part  of  that  coui'se. 

In  the  problems  before  the  canoeist  will  be  found  the 
combinations  of  every  degree  and  variety  of  these  rocks 
and  currents,  but  the  actual  circumstances  he  has  to 
deal  with  at  any  specified  moment  may  be  generally 
ranged  under  one  or  other  of  the  six  cases  depicted  in 
the  accompanying  woodcut.  In  each  of  the  figures  in 
the  diagram  the  current  is  supposed  to  run  towards  the 
top  of  the  page,  and  the  general  course  of  the  canoe  is 

R  2 


244  APPENDIX. 

supposed  tol)e  with  the  current.  The  particular  direc- 
tion of  the  current  is  indicated  by  the  dotted  lines. 
The  rocks  when  shaded  are  supposed  to  be  sunk,  and 
when  not  shaded  they  are  breakers.  Thus  the  current 
is  uniform  in  figs.  1,  2,  3  ;  and  it  is  otherwise  in  figs. 
4,  5,  6.  The  rocks  are  all  sunk  in  figs.  1,  2,  3,  and 
5  ;  whereas  in  figs.  4  and  6  there  are  breakers.  The 
black  line  in  all  the  figures  shows  the  proper  course  of 
the  centre  of  the  boat,  and  it  is  well  to  habituate  one- 
self to  make  the  course  such  as  that  this  line  shall 
never  be  nearer  to  the  rock  than  one-half  of  the  boat's 
length. 

The  simplest  case  that  can  occur  is  when  the 
canoe  is  merely  floating  without  "  way "  through  a 
current,  and  the  current  bears  it  near  a  rock.  If  this 
be  a  breaker,  the  current,  being  deflected,  will  gene- 
rally carry  the  boat  to  one  side.  The  steering  in  such 
cases  is  so  easy,  and  its  frequent  occurrence  gives  so 
much  jDractice,  that  no  more  need  be  said  about  it. 
But  if  the  rock  be  a  sunk  rock,  and  if  it  be  not  quite 
plain  from  the  appearance  of  the  water  that  there  is 
depth  enough  over  the  rock  to  float  the  boat,  then  it 
is  necessary  to  pass  either  above  the  rock,  as  in  fig.  1, 
or  below  it,  as  in  fig.  2. 

A  few  days'  practice  is  not  thrown  away  if  the 
canoeist  seizes  every  opportunity  of  performing  under 
easy  circumstances  feats  which  may  at  other  times  have 
to  be  done  under  necessity,  and  which  would  not  be  so 
well  done  then  if  attempted  for  the  first  time.  Let 
him,  therefore,  as  soon  as  possible,  become  adept  in 
crossing  above  or  below  a  single  sunk  rock  with  his 
boat's  how  pointed  to  any  angle  of  the  semicircle  before 
him. 

Next  we  have  to  consider  the  cases  in  which  more 
than  one  rock  will  have  to  be  avoided.  Now,  how- 
ever great  the  number  of  the  rocks  may  be,  they  can 
be  divided  into  sets  of  three,  and  in  each  of  the  figures 


APPENDIX. 


245 


FIG.  I. 


(liiliill! 


FIG. 4-. 


FIG. 2. 


FIG. 5. 


FIG. 3. 


246  APPENDIX. 

3,  4,  5,  6  it  is  supposed  that  (for  reasons  whicli  may  be 
different  in  each  case,  but  always  sufficient)  the  canoe 
has  to  pass  between  rocks  A  and  £,  and  then  between 
£  and  C,  but  must  not  pass  otherwise  between  A 
and  C. 

In  fig.  3  the  course  is  below  £,  and  above  C,  being 
a  combination  of  the  instance  in  fig.  2  with  that  in 
fig.  1.  The  precise  angle  to  the  line  of  the  course 
which  the  boat's  longer  axis  ought  to  have  will  depend 
upon  what  is  to  be  done  next  after  passing  between  B 
and  C,  and  hence  the  importance  of  being  able  to  effect 
the  passages  in  fig.  1  and  fig.  2  with  the  axis  at  any 
required  angle. 

We  may  next  suppose  that  one  of  the  three  rocks, 
say  JB,  as  in  fig.  4,  is  a  breaker  which  will  deflect 
the  current  (as  indicated  by  the  dotted  stream  lines), 
and  it  will  then  be  necessary  to  modify  the  angle  of 
the  boat's  axis,  though  the  boat's  centre  has  to  be 
kept  in  the  same  course  as  before.  It  will  be  seen  at 
once  that  if  A  were  a  breaker  the  angle  would  be  in- 
fluenced in  another  manner,  and  that  if  C  were  a 
breaker  the  angle  at  which  the  boat  should  emerge 
from  the  group  of  rocks  would  be  influenced  by  the 
stream  from  C  also  ;  but  it  is  only  necessary  to  remind 
the  reader  that  all  the  combinations  and  permutations 
of  breakers  and  sunk  rocks  need  not  be  separately  dis- 
cussed,— they  may  be  met  by  the  experience  obtained 
in  one  case  of  each  class  of  circumstances. 

Fig.  5  represents  a  circular  current  over  the  gi'oup 
of  three  rocks.  This  is  a  very  deceptive  case,  for  it 
looks  so  easy  that  at  first  it  is  likely  to  be  treated  care- 
lessly. If  the  boat  were  supposed  to  be  a  substance 
floating,  but  without  weight,  it  would  have  its  direction 
of  motion  instantly  altered  by  that  of  the  current.  But 
the  boat  has  weight,  and  as  it  has  velocity  (that 
of  the  current  even  if  the  boat  is  not  urged  also  by  the 
paddle  so  as  to  have  "  way  "  through  the  water),  there- 


APPENDIX.  247 

fore  it  will  have  momentum^  and  the  tendency  will  be 
to  continue  the  motion  in  a  straight  line,  instead  of  a 
curve  guided  solely  by  the  current.  In  all  these  cases, 
therefore,  it  will  be  found  that  the  boat  insists  upon 
passing  between  A  and  (7,  where  it  must  not  be  allowed 
to  go  (on  the  hypothesis  we  have  started  with),  and  if 
it  effects  a  compromise  by  running  upon  C,  that  will 
be  by  no  means  satisfactory.  This  class  of  cases  in- 
cludes all  those  in  which  the  river  makes  a  quick  turn 
round  a  rock  or  a  tongue  B,  where  the  boundary 
formed  by  the  rock  A  on  the  outer  bend  of  the  stream 
is  a  solid  bank,  or  a  fringe  of  growing  trees,  or  of 
faggots  artificially  built  as  a  protection  against  the 
erosion  of  the  water.  This  case,  occurs,  therefore,  very 
frequently  in  some  fast  rivers,  say,  at  least,  a  hundred 
times  in  a  day's  work,  and  perhaps  no  test  of  a  man's 
experience  and  capacity  as  a  canoeist  is  more  decisive 
than  his  manner  of  steering  round  a  fast,  sharp  bend. 
The  tendency  of  the  canoeist  in  such  cases  is  always 
to  bring  the  boat  round  by  paddling  forward  with  the 
outer  hand,  thereby  adding  to  the  '*'way,"  and  making 
the  force  of  the  current  in  its  circular  turn  less  power- 
ful relatively.  Whereas,  the  proper  plan  is  to  hack 
with  the  inner  hand,  and  so  to  stop  all  way  in  the 
direction  of  the  boat's  length,  and  to  give  the  current 
its  full  force  on  the  boat.  Repeated  lessons  are  needed 
before  this  is  learned  thoroughly. 

The  case  we  have  last  remarked  upon  is  made  easier 
if  either  ^  or  (7  is  a  breaker,  but  it  is  very  much  in- 
creased in  difficulty  if  the  rock  -5  is  a  breaker  or  is  a 
strong  tongue  of  bank,  and  so  deflects  the  current  out- 
wards at  this  critical  point.  The  difficulty  is  often 
increased  by  the  fact  that  the  water  inside  of  the  curve 
of  the  stream  may  be  shoal,  and  so  the  paddle  on  that 
side  strikes  the  bottom  or  grinds  along  it  in  backing. 

When  the  curve  is  all  in  deep  water,  and  there  is  a 
pool  after   B,   the   boat  ought  not  to  be  turned  too 


248  APPENDIX. 

quickly  in  endeavouring  to  avoid  the  rock  0,  else  it 
will  sometimes  then  enter  the  eddy  below  B,  which 
runs  up  stream  sometimes  for  fifty  yards.  In  such  a 
case  the  absurd  position  you  are  thereby  thrown  iuto 
naturally  causes  you  to  struggle  to  resist  or  stem  this 
current ;  but  I  have  found,  after  repeated  trials  of 
every  plan  I  could  think  of,  that  if  once  the  back 
current  has  taken  the  canoe  it  is  best  to  let  the  boat 
swing  with  the  eddy  so  as  to  make  an  entire  circuit, 
until  the  bow  can  come  back  towards  B  (and  below 
it),  when  the  nose  of  the  boat  may  be  again  thrust  into 
the  main  stream,  which  will  now  turn  the  boat  round 
again  to  its  proper  course.  Much  time  and  labour 
may  be  spent  uselessly  in  a  wrong  and  obstinate  contest 
with  an  eddy. 

In  fig.  6,  where  the  three  rocks  are  in  a  straight 
line,  and  the  middle  one  is  a  breaker,  an  instance  is 
given  when  the  proper  course  must  be  kept  by  hacking 
during  the  first  part  of  it.  We  must  suppose  that  the 
canoeist  has  attained  the  power  of  backing  with  perfect 
ease,  for  this  will  be  quite  necessary  if  he  intends  to 
take  his  boat  safely  through  several  hundred  combina- 
tions of  sunk  rocks  and  breakers.  Presuming  this,  the 
case  in  fig.  6  will  be  easy  enough,  though  a  little  re- 
flection will  show  that  it  might  be  very  difficult,  or 
almost  impossible,  if  the  canoeist  could  give  only  a 
forward  motion  to  the  boat.  To  pass  most  artistically, 
then,  through  the  group  of  rocks  in  fig.  6  the  stern 
should  be  turned  towards  A,  as  shown  in  the  diagram, 
and  the  passage  across  the  current,  between  A  and  B, 
is  to  be  effected  solely  by  backing  (and  chiefly  in  this 
case  with  the  left  hand)  until  the  furthest  point  of  the 
right  of  the  curve  is  reached,  with  the  boat's  length 
still  as  before  in  the  position  represented  in  the  figi.u*e. 
Then  the  forward  action  of  both  hands  will  take  the 
canoe  speedily  through  the  passage  between  j5  and  C. 

Cases  of  this  sort  are  rendered  more  difficult  by  the 


APPENDIX.  249 

distance  of  G  from  tlie  point  above  A,  where  you  are 
situated  when  the  instant  decision  has  to  be  made  as 
to  what  to  do,  and  it  would  usually  be  imprudent  to 
rise  in  the  boat  in  such  a  place  to  survey  the  rock  G. 
If  it  is  evident  that  the  plan  described  above  will  not  be 
applicable,  because  other  and  future  circumstance  will 
require  the  boat's  bow  to  emerge  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion (pointing  to  the  right),  then  you  must  enter  for- 
wards, and  must  back  between  B  and  C,  so  as  to  be 
ready,  after  passing  C,  to  drive  forward,  and  to  the 
right.  It  is  plain  that  this  is  very  much  more  difficult 
than  the  former  case,  for  your  backing  now  has  to  be 
done  against  the  full  stream  from  the  breaker  B. 

In  all  these  instances  the  action  of  the  wind  has 
been  entirely  omitted  from  consideration,  but  it 
must  not  be  forgotten  that  a  strong  breeze  materially 
complicates  the  problem  before  the  canoeist.  This  is 
especially  so  when  the  wind  is  aft ;  when  it  is  ahead 
you  are  not  likely  to  forget  its  presence.  A  strong  fair 
wind  (that  has  scarcely  been  felt  with  your  back  to  it) 
and  the  swift  stream  and  the  boat's  speed  from  paddling 
being  all  in  one  direction,  the  breeze  will  suddenly 
become  a  new  element  in  the  case  when  you  try  to 
cross  above  a  rock  as  in  fig.  1,  and  find  that  the  wind 
carries  you  broadside  on  against  all  your  calculations. 

As  for  sailing  among  rocks  in  a  current,  if  the  rapid 
is  long,  the  canoe  must  be  directed  solely  by  the 
paddle,  and  in  short  groups  of  rocks  the  course  to  be 
steered  by  a  boat  sailing  is  the  same  as  if  it  were 
paddled,  though  the  action  of  the  wind  has  to  be  care- 
fully taken  into  consideration. 

In  all  these  things  free  boldness  and  skill  come  best 
after  lessons  of  experience,  and  the  canoeist  will  find 
himself  ready  and  able,  at  the  end  of  his  voyage,  to  sail 
down  a  rapid  which  he  would  have  approached  very 
timidly,  at  the  beginning,  even  with  the  paddle. 

But  perhaps  enough  has  been  said  for  the  experienced 


250  appendix:. 

paddler,  while  surely  more  than  enough  has  been  said 
to  show  the  tyro  aspirant  what  varied  work  he  has 
to  do,  and  how  interesting  are  the  circumstances  that 
wUl  occupy  his  attention  on  a  delightful  river  cruise. 


Note  on  the  "  Kent." — The  narrative  of  a  ship- 
wreck referred  to  at  page  181  has  been  published  40 
years  ago,  and  in  many  foreign  languages,  but  its 
circulation  is  still  large.  The  following  letter  about 
one  of  the  incidents  related  in  the  little  book,  appeared 
in  the  "  Times  "  of  March  22,  1866  :— 

"lettees  feom  the  deep." 

«*  To  the  Editiyr  of  the  '  Times:' 

"  Sir, — As  attention  has  been  drawn  to  the  letters  written  on 
board  the  ship  London,  and  washed  ashore,  it  may  be  interest- 
ing to  notice  the  following  remarkable  incident  respecting  a 
letter  from  another  ship  wrecked  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay.  In 
March,  1825,  the  Kcat,  East  Indiaman,  took  fire  in  the  Bay 
of  Biscay  during  a  storm  while  641  persona  were  on  board,  most 
of  them  soldiers  of  the  31st  regiment.  When  all  hope  was  gone, 
and  before  a  little  vessel  was  seen  which  ultimately  saved  more 

than  500  people  from  the  Kent,  Major wrote  a  few 

lines  and  enclosed  the  paper  in  a  bottle,  which  was  left  in  the 
cabin.  Nineteen  months  after  this  the  writer  of  the  paper 
arrived  in  the  island  of  Barbados,  in  command  of  another  regi- 
ment, and  he  was  amazed  to  find  that  the  bottle  (cast  into  the 
sea  by  the  explosion  that  destroyed  the  Kent)  had  been  washed 
ashore  on  that  very  island.  The  paper,  with  its  faint  pencil 
lines  expressing  Christian  faith,  is  still  preserved ;  and  this  ac- 
count of  it  can  be  authenticated  by  those  who  were  saved. 

"  I  am,  your  obedient  servant, 
"  One  of  them." 

The  bottle,  after  its  long  immersion,  was  thickly  covered  by  the 
■weeds  and  barnacles.  The  following  are  the  words  of  the 
*'Letter  from  the  Deep,"  which  it  contained  : — 

"The  ship  the  Kent,  Indiaman,  is  on  fire— Elizabeth  Joanna 
and  myself  commit  our  spirits  into  the  hands  of  our  blessed 


APPENDIX.  251 

Kedeemer — His  grace  enables  us  to  be  quite  composed  in  the 
awful  prospect  of  entering  eternity.  "  D.  M'Gkegok. 

1st  March,  1825,  Bay  of  Biscay." 

The  writer  of  that  letter  lives  now  with  blessings 
on  his  venerable  head,  while  he  who  records  it  anew 
is  humbly  grateful  to  God  for  his  own  preservation. 
And  may  we  not  say  of  every  one  who  reads  such 
words,  written  in  such  an  hour,  that  his  life  would  be 
unspeakably  happy  if  he  could  lay  hold  now  of  so  firm 
a  surety,  and  be  certain  to  keep  fast  hold  to  the  end  ] 


CANOEING. 

Men  have  various  lines  of  exercise  as  they  have 
of  duty.  The  huntsman  may  not  understand  the 
pleasures  of  a  rapid,  nor  the  boatman  care  for  the 
delights  of  a  "bullfinch/'  Certainly,  however,  the 
waterman  can  say  that  a  good  horse  may  carry  a  bad 
rider  well,  but  that  the  best  boat  will  not  take  a  bad 
boatman  through  a  mile  of  broken  water. 

In  the  "  Canoeist,"  published  by  the  Canoe  Club, 
about  100  cruises  are  chronicled,  several  of  them  a  thou- 
sand miles  in  length,  and  in  all  quarters  of  the  world. 

The  hard  exercise  of  the  canoeist  in  the  open- 
air  gives  a  good  appetite  and  pleasant  sleepiness  at 
night.  But  at  the  end  of  the  voyage  the  change  of 
diet  and  cessation  of  exercise  will  be  apt  to  cause 
derangement  in  his  physical  system,  if  its  high  condi- 
tion be  not  cautiously  lowered  into  the  humdrum  of 
more  ordinary  life. 

The  Paddle. — It  has  been  said  that  the  use  of  a  canoe 
paddle  must  contract  the  chest,  but  this  is  certainly 
a  mistake.  If,  indeed,  you  merely  dabble  each  blade 
of  the  paddle  in  the  water  without  taking  the  full 
length  of  the  stroke  the  shoulders  are  not  thrown  back, 
and  the  effect  will  be  injurious  ;  but  exactly  the  same 
i^  true  if  you  scull  or  row  with  a  short  jerky  stroke. 


252  APPENDIX. 

In  a  proper  use  of  the  paddle  the  arms  ought  to  be  in 
turn  fully  extended,  and  then  brought  well  back,  so 
that  the  elbow  grazes  the  side,  and  the  chest  is  then 
well  plied  in  both  directions.  In  very  shallow  water 
the  paddle  should  be  clasped  lightly  (turning  the 
thiimbs  upwards  then),  so  that  if  it  strikes  the  bottom 
or  a  rock  the  hand  will  yield  and  not  the  blade  be 
broken.  The  distance  between  the  hands  should  be 
that  of  the  breadth  of  the  chest.  One  can  tell  a  trjro 
in  a  moment  by  seeing  him  with  his  hands  two  feet 
apart,  and  therefore  with  a  shortened  stroke  or  too 
long  a  paddle.  Great  caution  should  be  used  when 
placing  the  blade  in  advance  to  meet  a  rock,  or  even  a 
gravel  bank,  otherwise  it  gets  jammed  in  the  rock  or 
gravel,  or  the  boat  overrides  it.  It  is  better  in  such  a 
case  to  retard  the  speed  rather  by  dragging  the  paddle 
(tenderly),  and  always  with  its  flat  side  downwards,  so 
that  the  edge  does  not  get  nipped. 

For  long  cruises  lightness  is  the  first  necessity.  An 
ounce  more  or  less  makes  a  great  difference  when  you 
have  to  carry  it  with  outstretched  arms  all  day.  My 
paddle  weighs  two  pounds.  By  cutting  the  paddle  in 
two  one  half  may  be  used  conveniently  for  steering 
when  under  sail.  Both  parts  may  be  easily  stowed. 
A  spare  half  paddle,  with  a  ferrule  ready  on  it  could 
be  soon  attached  to  one  part  of  a  common  undivided 
paddle  if  that  is  broken.  A  swivel  crutch  on  deck  on 
the  quarter  is  used  sometimes. 

Rudder. — For  loug  sailing  this  is  useful,  but  for 
cruising  I  prefer  to  steer  with  the  paddle  only. 

Leehoards. — These  may  be  made  of  wooden  triangles 
one  foot  each  way,  hung  at  each  side  by  two  corners. 
The  lee  one  is  thus  pressed  against  the  gunwale,  and 
acts  well . 

Centre-board — When  the  "  Bothion "  sailed  across 
the  English  Channel,  the  late  Hon.  James  Gordon 
used   a  centre-board  at  my  suggestion,  and  his  Rob 


APPENDIX.  253 

Roy  thus  held  her  wind  admirably.  The  centre-board 
might  come  up  through  a  slit  one  foot  long  in  the 
garboard  streak  (not  through  the  keel)  into  a  closed 
macintosh  bag,  so  that  when  raised  it  would  turn  to 
one  side,  and  lie  flat  on  the  bilge  within. 

The  Apron. — The  canoeist  soon  finds  that  this  is 
the  most  difficult  pai-t  of  the  boat  to  aiTange  with  per- 
fect satisfaction.  I  have  had  more  experiments  and 
trouble  and  thought  about  the  apron  than  upon  any 
part  of  the  canoe's  arrangements. 

A  wooden  hatch  does  well  for  common  work,  but 
not  for  rough  cruising.  Now  and  then  the  legs 
need  "play,"  and  if  the  hatch  is  rigid  at  the 
height  thus  needed,  it  is  much  too  high  in  ordinary 
times.  Perfect  freedom  for  the  arms  near  the  deck  is 
a  comfort  not  attainable  by  the  hatch,  which  also  is 
unwieldy  for  instant  debarking  in  rapids,  and  for 
stowing  away. 

The  detached  apron  of  the  Baltic  pattern  is  wet  in 
use.  Side  pieces  on  deck  to  clutch  the  wooden  cheeks 
kept  out  by  a  cane  across  the  knees,  and  a  permanent 
flap  on  deck,  covering  the  fore  end  of  the  macintosh, 
are  great  improvements.  The  Jordan  Rob  Roy  had 
a  sheet  macintosh  apron,  with  only  a  cane  fixed  in  the 
combing  to  keep  the  apron  off  the  knees.  She  now 
has  under  this  apron  six  inches  of  the  after  part  of 
wood.  The  loose  breast  flap  and  side  flaps  rolled  up 
(usually)  form  a  curved  edging  near  the  body.  By 
lifting  this  hatch,  and  laying  it  forward,  the  whole 
apron  is  folded  forward  of  the  knees,  and  in  one  foot 
of  space  fore  and  aft. 

Stretcher. — The  form  described  with  a  cut  in  the 
"  Rob  Roy  on  the  Jordan  "  is  a  very  great  improve- 
ment. Each  foot  has  a  light  board  abutting  on  the 
carline  above  and  the  timber  below,  so  that  ample 
room  is  given  for  the  luggage  bag,  and  much  strength 


254  APPENDIX. 

with  extreme  lightness.  Many  forms  have  been  tried, 
but  the  club  sailing  matches  have  always  been  won  by 
a  lug  sail. 

Ballast. — In  the  "Hybrid  boat"  now  being  de- 
signed, I  propose  to  have  a  macintosh  bag,  long,  broad, 
and  three  inches  deep,  to  hold  eighty  pounds  of  water. 
By  pushing  this  forward,  it  will  rise  on  a  jointed  frame, 
and  thus  empty  itself  when  ballast  is  not  required. 
The  bag  will  then  become  a  life-presei'ver,  or  an  air- 
bed, like  that  used  in  the  Jordan  Rob  Roy,  three  feet 
long,  and  fourteen  inches  wide. 

Portable  Canoes. — A  wooden  canoe  in  four  pieces  is 
easily  made,  although  somewhat  heavy.  The  addi- 
tional expense  is  soon  saved,  if  the  canoe  is  taken  often 
by  railway  as  a  box.  Colonel  Bradford's  india-rubber 
canoe  packs  up  into  a  parcel  five  feet  long,  and 
one  foot  across.  In  the  Eastern  trip  a  canoe  in 
two  pieces  might  have  been  readily  carried  on  a 
horse,  but  the  Roy  Roy,  undivided,  was  thus  carried  easily . 

I  am  now  designing  a  cork  canoe  in  3  pieces,  5  feet, 
4  feet,  and  3  feet  long.  The  last  packs  in  the  next, 
and  both  in  the  large  middle  one.  The  whole  to  "v^eigh 
50  lbs. 

Sun. — ^When  there  is  a  brilliant  glare  of  the  sun,  and 
it  is  low,  and  directly  in  front,  and  the  eyes  are  dazzled 
by  its  reflection  on  the  water,  a  good  plan  is  to  direct 
the  bow  to  some  point  you  are  to  steer  for,  and  then 
observe  the  reflection  of  the  sun  on  the  cedar  deck  of 
the  boat.  Having  done  this  you  may  lower  the  peak 
of  your  hat  so  as  to  cut  off  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun, 
and  its  reflected  rays  on  the  water,  while  you  steer 
simply  by  the  light  on  the  deck. 

Caution. — ^When  a  great  current  moves  across  a  river 
to  a  point  where  it  seems  very  unlikely  to  have  an  exit, 
you  may  be  certain  that  some  unusual  conformation  of 
the  banks  or  of  the  river  bed  will  be  found  there,  and 


APPENDIX.  255 

caution  should  be  used  in  approaching  the  place.    This, 
however,  is  less  necessary  when  the  river  is  deep. 

Weeds. — The  ripple  and  bubbles  among  weeds  are  so 
totally  different  from  those  on  free  water  that  their 
appearance  at  a  distance  as  a  criterion  of  the  depth, 
current,  and  direction  of  the  channel  must  be  learned 
separately.  In  general,  where  weeds  are  under  water, 
and  can  sway  or  wave  about,  there  will  be  water 
enough  to  pass — the  requisite  3  inches.  Backing  up 
stream  against  long  weeds  is  so  troublesome,  and  so 
sure  to  sway  the  stern  round  athwart  stream,  that  it 
is  best  to  force  the  boat  forward  instead,  even  if 
you  have  to  get  out  and  pull  her  through.  Paddling 
through  rushes,  or  flags,  or  other  plants,  so  as  to  cut 
off  a  corner,  is  a  mistake.  Much  more  "  way  "  is  lost 
then  by  the  friction  than  might  be  supposed. 

In  some  breezy  lake  perhaps,  or  on  some  rushing 
river,  the  little  Rob  Roy  may  hope  to  meet  the  reader's 
canoe  ;  and  when  the  sun  is  setting,  and  the  wavelets 
ripple  sleepily,  the  pleasures  of  the  paddle  will  be 
known  far  better  than  they  can  ever  be  told  by  the 
pen. 

BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR. 

THU  BOB  BOY  on  the  JOBDAN,  Nile,  Bed  Sea,  and 
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Coloured  Plates,  and  Maps.  Sixth  Thousand.  1870.  Price 
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THE  BOB  BOT  on  the  BALTIC ;  a  Canoe  Cruise 
in  Norway,  Sweden,  Denmark,  &c.  With  Illustrations  and 
Maps.     Second  Edition.     Price  5s. 

THE  VOYAGE  ALONE  in  the  YAWL  BOB  BOY  ; 

a  Cruise  Singl^handed  for  Three  Months  over  1500  Miles 
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